Our Veggie Kitchen

Long ago and far away, I made a bad batch of dal. Now, I'm a big fan of Indian food. I'm also a believer that if a dal looks apetizing, It's not ma..de right. This just wasn't right. It was horrible and, of coarse, It couldn't be my cooking. It must be that I don't like lentils. I convinced myself that they taste like dirt.

Since going veg, last year, I've started to rethink that hypothesis. After all, I love split peas and mung beans. Well, last week, I found Progresso Soups for 99 cents a can. I bought a a bunch of Split Pea --with bacon!!--agh what a waste, and one can of lentil soup. It was really good. I later found a can of Muir Glen Lentil Soup on sale. It had bits of carrot and spinach and I like it.

So I took the plunge and made my own. This is a fairly traditional, European lentil soup with a bit of carrot and lots of spinach, just enough to accent the lentils and add some color. I'm officially a lentil fan now. I'm even making Veganomicon Snobby Joes this week =)



Lentil Soup
1 lb lentils, picked through
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 quarts vegetable broth
1 tbs thyme, minced (1 tsp dried)
2 bay leaves
5 oz spinach (4 cups, chopped)
1/2 tbs white wine vinegar

Saute onions in vegetable oil until soft. Stir in the carrots, garlic and thyme. Saute for a minute longer and add the bay leaf, wine, vegetable broth and lentils. Bring to a boil and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 45 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and, with an immersion blender, blend until about half of the soup is blended. Add the spinach and simmer until wilted. Stir in the vinegar, and add salt or pepper to taste.

5 Servings: 393 cal (4g fat, 62g carbs, 28g protein)