Sunflower Seed Soup...Our travels - Wendake, Canada

This past summer we visited Quebec Province, Canada. We made stops in Montreal, Quebec City, Wendake, and the Eastern Townships. Wendake is a First Nation community of Huron- Wendat in Quebec. We visited the Traditional Huron Site, Onhoüa Chetek8e, and took the Mid-Day package which included: a guided tour, a dance show, and a traditional meal.

Our guide explained and answered every question from:

•  Where the name 'Huron' came from...
• To the French their bristled hair do's resembled boars which is 'hure' in French, though there were other possibilities as well, in French 'huron' means rustic.

• The different types of medicine practiced...
• Physical (Body), Psychological (Mind) and Spiritual (Soul).

• Food Preservation/ Preparation Techniques...
• Drying, Salting, and Smoking

Overall it was a wonderful experience, very interesting and informative. The Dance show was nicely done and every aspect was explained well. After the tour and show, we went to have lunch at the restaurant, Nek8arre. This was definitely a treat, traditional Wendat foods prepared with a French twist! We were greeted warmly and told the menu of the day:

Appetizer - Sunflower Seed Soup with Bannock

Main Course - Bison Sausages or DeerStew

Served with Wild Rice Mix and Seasonal Vegetables

Dessert - Maple Cake with Cranberry Tea

The lunch was wonderful!

The soup was filling, the meat was tender, vegetables cooked to perfection, and to be honest the tastiest and largest grains of wild rice I've seen in my life! We made sure to tell our hosts how much we enjoyed the experience and on our way out we picked up the restaurant cookbook which is only available in French, 'La Cuisine Huronne - D'hier à aujourd'hui' by Mario Gros-Louis. If you happen to be in the area, I highly recommend making a stop and give yourself a few hours to listen, learn, talk, stroll, eat, and enjoy! Here's the link: Traditional Huron Site, Onhoüa Chetek8e

This soup was a life saver this past week. It was so cold here, with the wind the temperature was in the negative numbers, -11 F at the lowest! Our pipes froze twice just this week! I didn't have any desire to go out in that kind of cold, so off to the pantry to see what I could put together. We had bean soup a few nights before so, beans were out...but I did have a lot of raw sunflower seeds from this summer. I remembered that hearty seed soup we had on our trip and that was it...dinner was decided! Not only is it a great soup to throw together, it's also healthy.

Sunflower seeds are high in protein and other nutrients

• 100 grams (approx. 1/2 cup) of  Raw Sunflower Seeds have...
• 20g of Carbohydrates, 8.5g Dietary Fiber, and 21g of Protein
• They are also rich in cholesterol- lowering phytosterols.

 This in combination with the veggies gives you a well rounded and healthy meal!

Here is my version of Sunflower Seed Soup adapted from 'La Cuisine Huronne- D'hier à aujourd'hui':

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Raw Sunflower seeds
2 Green Onions
1 Carrot grated
1/2 tsp Onion powder
1/2 tsp Celery Seeds
1 tsp Dried Rosemary
1 tsp Fresh Parsley
1/4 cup Mixed Wild rice, uncooked
1/2 tsp + Salt
1/2 tsp + Black Pepper- Fresh ground
2 Cups Vegetable Stock
1 TBLSP Vegetable oil


Directions:
1. Saute the onions, sunflower seeds, and grated carrot in the oil.

2. Add the stock and remaining ingredients, except rice.

3. Cover and let simmer gently for about an hour.

4. Add the rice and cook for another  20 to 25 minutes.

Adjust the seasoning to taste. Garnish with chopped parsley, and serve with a nice piece of cornbread.

Enjoy!

I have entered it in Cooking with Herbs -  hosted by Lavender and Lovage, and Spice Trail - hosted by Bangers & Mash.