Vegetable Lentil Soup

For the past couple of months I’ve been making soup about once a week.  It’s a nice, healthy way to eat for 24 hours.  I mostly keep it vegetarian and we just eat it all day and night, every time we get hungry, there it is on the stove and I don’t worry about refrigeration, because there’s nothing that can go bad. I want to make a point here today though, just how easy soup making is. I really measured nothing… All amounts were what I had left in my fridge and pantry.

• Olive Oil (a nice big glub)
• Salt (a couple of pinches)
• 1 package dried lentils
• 2 large yellow onions, plus half a red onion I had left over, chopped
• 8 carrots chopped (if they’re organic I don’t even peel them)
• 12 stalks of celery, trimmed and chopped
• 3 bell peppers (red, yellow and orange) seeded and chopped
• 2 cubanelle peppers, seeded and chopped
• 3 chipotle in adobe, chopped (again it was what was left, use less or more according to taste)
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 75 oz. organic vegetable broth – (Use what you have, I had two containers and a third opened in the fridge, I poured them all in)
• 2 boxes Pomi strained tomatoes

Let’s talk a bit about lentils.  I sometimes use beans in my soups and sometimes I don’t.  I find them a bit of a pain to soak overnight, I don’t usually plan my soups that far in advance.  I had never tried lentils before a couple of months ago – No, I have no idea how I’ve gotten this far without eating lentils, it just happened.  A friend was talking about them on Facebook and I was inspired to try them.  They have changed my life.  I love these tasty, little things.  You don’t have to soak them, they’re ready in 20 minutes and they’re easy.  Really, really easy… Use them if you like, leave them out if you don’t.

Prepare the lentils according to package directions, drain and set aside.

Dry the pan, heat to med/high heat, add a big glub of oil and then the onions, carrots and celery.  Add a big pinch of salt and toss and cook till they’re all soft and glossy.

Add the peppers, another pinch of salt and cook till they’re softened.  Then add the chipotles, and toss and cook until the chipotles are almost dissolved.

Add the garlic, cook until you can really smell the garlic and then add the broth.

Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and let cook for about 20 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and stir well, add the lentils, cover and allow to simmer on low until you’re ready to eat.

So easy, so good.  Spicy, satisfying, lots of vegetables, broth, tomatoes.  You will love this and you won’t miss the carbs or the meat at all.  I promise.

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