Lentil Soup

Being a mom with two small children and not being a great planner with my meals, I always look for easy and fast dinners, snacks and desserts when I am in a rush . What I love about lentil soup is that you basically need 10 ingredients that are usually always in your pantry, no rushing to the store which makes for easy cooking. This lentil soup recipe is vegan and gluten friendly. I like to add more carrots as my kids dont eat alot of vegetables but they love this lentil soup. You can add this to any meal as an appetizer or have it on its own with toasted pita bread. You can also freeze this lentil soup for those busy days. Simply pour the soup into freezer safe containers or freezer bags and freeze for up to three months. When ready to use, thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in a pot or take out your frozen soup and empty directly in the pot to heat.

---

Prep

30 minute prep time

45 cooking time

Serving 8

Ingredients

2 cups split red lentils

2 tsp baking Soda

2 tbsp oil

1 onion , chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 Carrots ( you can add more carrots for more nutrition value)

2 tsp Cumin

2 tsp Salt

¼ tsb Pepper

7 cups water

Lemon

Parsley for seasoning

Optional toasted pita bread

---

1. Rinse the lentils in cold water to remove any debris do this about 3- 4 times. Once they are rinsed you can place in a clean bowl and soak with water for about 15-20 mins this cuts down on cooking time. Add the baking Soda to the lentils this makes it soft and faster to cook also!

2 . As the lentils soak you can chop the onion and garlics and carrots. In a medium pot heat the oil and then add the onions, garlic and carrots saute on median heat until the onions and garlic are golden. Wash the lentils one more time to get rid of any accuse baking soda, once washed well add lentils to the pot and mix altogether. Once all the ingredients are mixed add the water, cumin, salt and pepper. Bring the water to a boil, lower heat and cover for about 45 mins mixing every now and then. ( If you notice that the soup is boiling and there is foam you can take it out with a ladle or can just mix it back in to the soup, both work .) Once your soup is finished and you feel that it is too thick add more water. Add water until you have achieved your desired consistency.

3 . Once the soup is cooked you can serve with toasted pita bread and squeeze or two of lemon, enjoy! Or you can use a hand blender and blend the soup to get all the carrots nice and smooth. Makes the soup very child friendly.

Enjoy

---