Healthy & Hearty Quinoa Stew

My friend Suzanne made this soup for dinner group a while ago and it is seriously divine, and healthy...love that combination. There is something about the hot sauce and mustard combination in the broth that is really addicting and I'm pretty sure I ate about 3 bowls for lunch today.

The only tweaks I made was I left out the can of tomatoes and the parsley, and I used Franks. I'm not the hugest fresh parsley fan.  Next time I make it I think I will wait and add the zucchini with the potatoes or quinoa...by the time the quinoa cooks the zucchini is a little mushier than I prefer.

(originally from the picky palate)

2 T extra virgin olive oil (I always skimp on this just a little)

1 large onion, chopped

5 stalks celery, chopped

4 large carrots, peeled and sliced

2 Cups sweet pepper, chopped

1 large zucchini, quartered and sliced

64 oz chicken broth

15 oz can diced tomatoes

5 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cubed into 1" pieces (get the Yukon potatoes, it's worth the extra few dollars)

3 cups cooked quinoa

4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked, shredded and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper

2 T Dijon Mustard

1 T Hot Sauce (Cholula brand is good)

Kosher Salt, fresh cracked black pepper, Garlic Salt (Lawry's is good), and Parsley to taste

1 1/2 cups fresh parsley chopped

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, carrots, peppers, and zucchini until softened. This takes about 5 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, tomatoes, and potatoes. Increase heat to high just until broth starts to boil Reduce to medium high and cook potatoes for 10 minutes or until fork tender. Reduce heat to low and stir in quinoa, chicken, dijon mustard, hot sauce. Season to taste with kosher salt, pepper, garlic salt. Stir in fresh parsley and simmer until ready to serve.