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Sunday, February 8, 2015

Eating For Your Future/Sunday's Soup

We are so fortunate to have an array ethnic markets in Chicago and believe me, I take advantage of them!! I love the aromas, the energy and the thrill of finding something that is at least,  new to me. One market that I often shop at is a middle eastern market. They bake fresh pitas and other middle eastern flat breads. Their spices are unbelievable, and as I said, I always find something new to me.
One item that I buy quite often is lentils. I especially love red lentils. They are just so pretty!
And they make the loveliest soup. Today's soup is basically off the package. I made a few changes by adding carrots and celery, but that's it. This is a wonderfully easy soup to whip up and it will last throughout the week for lunch. As you can see below, the lentils in their dried form are a golden orange, but when cooked become a golden yellow. Lentils are high in B vitamins, fiber and protein. When you are following a vegan diet, it's very important to be very aware of your protein intake.
Lentil Soup or "Shorabat Addas"

2 cups red lentils
8 cups water
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric or paprika
1 large onion diced
2 large carrots chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
2 bouillon cubes (optional)

1. Wash lentils. Add to water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover for 1/2 hour, stirring occasionally.
2. When lentils are tender, add spices and optional bouillon cubes. I used vegetable based bouillon.
3. Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until golden brown. Add chopped carrots and celery and cook until tender. Add to lentils.
4. Simmer for approximately 5 minutes. Add lemon juice and stir.
5. Garnish with parsley, and or paprika. Serve with extra lemon slices on the side.
Yields 6 servings

As you can see, the soup is very easy to prepare. I really like the addition of the vegetables. A red pepper would also make a nice addition and make the soup a little heartier.
My Daniel Diet is going fairly well, but I must confess, I have made a few slip ups. I'll post more on that later this week.



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13 comments:

  1. Perfect! I have all the ingredients and I am making this today! Lentil soup is so addictive! Thank you for the timely post!

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    1. So glad I could be of help :) Hope it was good!

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  2. I love red lentils. We don't eat much red meat in our house, but I make a sweet potato/pumpkin red lentil soup (usually also with carrots and cauliflower) once a week - the secret ingredient is a dash of sweet chilli sauce and a gollup of peanut butter. My little girls have always loved it and the red lentils make it a nutritious vegetarian meal that they eat up quickly (instead of the usual long dramatic drawn out dinners). They like tofu 'boats' in their soup too instead of croutons.

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    1. My mother would get so exasperated with me. I remember her telling me one night when I would not eat that she didn't care if I had to sit there until the food turned green with mold, I was going to eat it. I did not and spent my usual time in my chair in the corner. Bless you Debbie. You have 3 girls!!!!

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  3. HMM. Looks tasty! I'm still working on finishing the tomatillo soup I made on Thursday. I added more tomatillos this batch. hmm, hmm, good!

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    1. I am so happy that I found a recipe that you have enjoyed so much. I need to make that up again.

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  4. This soup looks so good---and the photo of your mirapoix is the best! Yum!

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  5. Oh Rhonda, This soup looks delicious.

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  6. Replies
    1. Too bad you aren't closer. You could have joined us for dinner :)

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    2. Since I don't live close, I had to make it myself! I made some this morning and it's scrummy. I think it's the first time I've actually followed through and made one of your recipes!

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  7. I love red lentils and there are so many ways to cook them

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