Salmon Broccoli Soup (and a slick shallot move)

Why soup, again?!  Here's my thinking, combined with the research: since I'm not digesting well, yet seem to be in need of super-nutrition, I wanted to make something that was as nutritious as possible, and easy to digest, so that means soup! As part of trying to be low-histamine, I bought frozen salmon, as was recommended by the low-histamine chef .  It was a nice looking filet, not as lovely as west coast salmon, but hey, I'm no where near that coast!  Slicing it was a workout in and of itself--leverage, a good knife, and a fair dose of upper body strength...but the frozen makes nice clean edges.

Here's the procedure:
1 tbsp butter, melted
8-10 shallots, halved and placed cut side down to caramelize (slick move is cutting off the top and bottom, and then not quite cutting all the way through to halve it, because then the non-papery part just pops out without having to peel with such intensity)
olive oil, a good swirl over the shallots
3 soup cubes - beef for heartier, chicken or vegetable for a lighter taste, stirred in and broken down into the oil

Once they're nice and deeply golden, add the garlic
4-5 cloves of garlic, pressed into the pot
Add 3/4 cup of quinoa - black or red would look more interesting, I used white (not in Peru anymore, where it's available in wide varieties!).  Add about a litre and a half of water, boil...

Cut the salmon into nice sized bites, I went larger, because I think it's good to have something that needs a bite or two, so you know you're eating....

Salmon goes in, sprinkle with pepper, and monitor the consistency-as you like it.

1 head of broccoli, washed well and trimmed into teeny florets (otherwise it's just too much for a spoon to handle!), if you have a lot of stalk, then cube or shred that in as well-it's good, but if the outside is tough, peel that off, because it ruins the texture of the soup--too sharp!)

Cook for at least 20 mins, until the salmon is done, adding the broccoli for the last 10 mins.

It's cooking right now and drew everyone into the kitchen to see what smelled so good...bodes well.

Cheers and chao.