Red Lentil Soup

Red lentils are not only great tasting and a staple food in Middle Eastern cooking, but they are very nutritious also. These lovely little lentils are a great source of protein,fiber,iron, anti-oxidants,magnesium,and Vitamin B. 

I was in the mood for Red Lentil Soup today. I googled many recipes and decided on one that was featured in the NY Times. The soup was smelling quite nice as it was simmering on the stove, so I had a sample. Bland!  Now what to do? There was no way I was going to be able to eat bland soup for the next three days and I wasn't about to discard it.  Nothing else to do, but open up the trusty spice cabinet and started adding a little of this and a little of that. I sampled the soup again, and it was getting better. I added another splash of this and a splash of that. Voila!!! Soup came out great. 

Recipe: 

Ingredients:

1 pound of Red Lentils (Lentils need to soak for 1 hour in cold water and rinsed well afterwards.)

Canola Oil

4 Cloves of Garlic 

1 Sweet Onion

2 Tsp. Cumin

2 Tsp. Curry powder

1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon

1 Tsp. Ground Ginger

1/2 Tsp. Turmeric

2 Tsp. Paprika

1/4 Tsp. Ground Black Pepper

Drizzle of Honey

28 oz Can chopped tomatoes

32 oz Box of Chicken Stock

Salt to taste

Directions:

In a food processor, blend the onion, and garlic until smooth. Heat a large pot with canola oil and saute the onion and garlic until golden. Add the chopped tomatoes including the juice. Then add the chicken stock, and all the dry ingredients. Stir well. Add the red lentils and mix well. Bring to a boil and then partially cover and simmer for about 1 hour until the lentils become tender and break apart. It is important to frequently stir the soup so the lentils don't stick to the bottom of the pot. Add water if the lentils have soaked up too much liquid, but go slow. Do not add too much at a time, or your soup will be too thin. When the soup is ready, drizzle honey over the top and stir it in the soup.  

Garnish your bowl of soup with a dab of plain yogurt.  Enjoy!