lentil soup

It is blowing an icy gale. It is Friday. Mr is exhausted, I'm not far behind. Both of us will come home this evening with a great need for comfort food and a good DVD, but neither will have the energy to do anything about it. Solution: knock up a big pot of lentil soup and drop in the Baker's Delight after work (handily located downstairs). I haven't done a lentil soup in ages,-not sure why, it's filling, fabulous, comforting, healthy and cheap cheap cheap. I did look up some recipes but then went with the tried-and-true Cath-method of chuck everything in and taste test regularly until you're happy. The only thing about this one is the golden rule for lentil soup; don't add salt until the very end. It will make the lentils tough.

LENTIL SOUP

Ingredients: 2 cups brown lentils, one brown onion, 2 celery stalks and leaves, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 2 tsp ground cumin, 2 tsp garlic granules, leftover stamed veg (cauliflower, carrot, broccoli, zucchini),1/2 cup roast cashews, 3 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp chilli flakes, 1 tsp rosemary (dried), 3 L water, 1tbsp vegeta seasoning.

Chuck it in, boil it up, whizz in blender and serve with hot crusty bread. Voila.

Lentils were one of the earliest known cultivated crops. Usually known as 'poor man's meat' it was then and is still recommended as one of the best alternative protein sources to meat. Not only that, but it is packed with fibre, folate, iron and vitamin C, a good whack of B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6), niacin, vitamin K and pantothenic acid. In fact, for pregnant women, Lentils should be a dietary mainstay with 1 cup providing 89.5% of recommended daily Folate needs. (USDA food charts).

More importantly, lentil soup tastes fabulously earthy and wholesome. the lentils merrily take on whatever flavourings you fancy at the time. You can get terribly fancy and go all moroccan, Egyptian, Indian, French (tarragon and bay), or basic and simple like the recipe above. An especially good idea for young vegan doctors away from home who could cook up a big pot, freeze portions and have a tasty and nutritious breakfast or dinner just a microwave away:-)

Of course, doctors like this should always serve the soup with lots of bread slathered with toffutti cream cheese because they're skinny enough already:-)

If you want an even heartier version, add some spuds to the mix. If you do that though, you probably won't have room for any bread. The tummy can only take so much starch at once:-)

Go on, it's winter, cook up a pot of goodness and spend the rest of the day smugly congratulating yourself on your mastery of nutrition and thrift.