Lentil And Vegetable Soup
 

This soup will warm the "cockles of your heart". 

The quantity of curry powder is negotiable according how spicy your family will like their food.  Mine don't like soup too hot so I only use 1 teaspoon of curry powder.  Bear in mind also that your curry powder may be a different strength to mine.

 

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To convert any of these ingredients into US measurements please use this Quantity Conversion Chart.

Ingredients:

1 large brown onion
2 teaspoons of oil
1 teaspoon of curry powder
6 cups of good vegetable stock
1 cup of red lentils
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 tin diced tomatoes, about 400 gm (1 pound) size, will do
1 large zucchini
Salt and pepper

Method:

Place onion, oil and curry powder in large saucepan and cook till onion is golden.

Add stock, lentils, tomatoes and tomato paste and cook for 15 minutes.

De-seed zucchini, dice and add to soup.  Gently cook for a further 20 minutes.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 8.

Notes:

If you don't have any vegetable stock on hand you can use water and stock powder instead.  Because this recipe has lentils in it you will need to be vigilant about stirring it or the lentils may stick to the bottom of the pan.

If you don't have tinned tomatoes then chop up some fresh tomatoes instead.
 

Food Facts:

Lentils are one of our oldest foods.  They originated in Asia and North Africa and are still grown there as well as in France and Italy. they are rich in B Vitamins which boost our immune systems. Lentils can help boost energy, they are rich in fibre and are full of anti-carcinogenic phyto chemicals.  Their colours range from yellow to red-orange to green, brown or even black. Canada is the largest export producer of lentils in the world.

Zucchinis are native to the Americas and their origins have been traced back to Mexico as far as 7,000 BC. Zucchinis were taken to Italy where they became known as zucchinos - which means sweetness.  The French call them courgettes.  They have a high water content and are very low in calories.  Zucchinis are full of valuable anti oxidants, Vitamin A and C and potassium.