Vegan Green Lentil Spicy Soup

My humblest apologies for disappearing off the blogging radar for so long.  We were out of the country for a while, and it seems like it always takes a stretch to get back in the swing of things.  Some bloggers are so organized and dedicated to their blogs, that they prepare a few posts ahead of time and connect even when on vacation.  Me? I’m not that organized, hence the hiatus from my blog, so please forgive me Readers, I promise I will make up for it.

You will recall that I volunteer once a week at Goodstay Gardens.  The garden is just a 12 minute walk from where we live.  I call it my “happy place” as I work outside amongst the birds and the bees.  The happy chirping of the birds, the buzzing of the bees and the wee groundhogs and rabbits darting to and fro makes for an interesting day.  I’ve been put in charge of the vegetable beds since we live close by and can water and keep an eye on things when we are in the midst of a heatwave like we are at the moment.  Imagine my surprise when we got back to find a beautiful bounty of the freshest vegetables that were ready to harvest.  I have first dibs, so naturally filled my basket with all that goodness.

I came across this recipe recently, from Cookie + Kate’s blog, so thought of giving it a try even though soup is not exactly something I’d crave for in the depths of summer.  Believe me though, this soup was so flavorful, healthy and has a slight kick to it with the red pepper flakes and the lemon juice.  You’ve got to try this, I promise you won’t be disappointed.  I used the onions, tomatoes, garlic and curly kale for this recipe.  I plan to pickle the cucumbers, make a quiche with the swiss chard and roast the beets for a salad.  Stay tuned for additional recipes from the garden and more exciting picks in the coming weeks.

 

• Servings: 5
• Time: 45minutes
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Ingredients

• 1/4 cup of extra virgin oil
• 1 medium yellow or red onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon madras curry powder (or any curry powder in your spice cabinet)
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1 28oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1 cup green lentils
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup chopped fresh curly kale, tough ribs removed
• juice of 1 lemon to taste

Method

1. Warm the olive oil in a large pot.  Add the olive oil, do not skimp on the suggested amount, as it adds a heartiness to this nutritious soup.
2. Add the chopped onion and carrot and cook, stirring often until the onion has softened.  Add the garlic, cumin, curry powder and thyme.  Cook until fragrant while stirring constantly about 30 seconds.  Pour in the drained diced tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes, stirring often to enhance the flavor
3. Pour in the lentils, broth and the water.  Add salt if desired and a pinch of red pepper flakes.  Season generously with freshly ground pepper.  Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot and reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer.  Cover for 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender, but still hold their shape.
4. Transfer 2 cups of the soup into a blender.  Puree until smooth.  Pour the pureed soup back into the pot and add the chopped greens.  Cook for 5 more minutes, or until the greens have softened to your liking.
5. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the juice of one lemon.