Red Lentil Soup
 

This is another one of those soups that we eat masses of in winter. 

It's prepared and cooked in less than half an hour. We often have a bowl of soup for breakfast in our house. 

This recipe is very healthy and far more nutritious than the sugary cereals that some folk eat for their brekkie (Aussie expression meaning breakfast).

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

Ingredients:

Cooking oil spray
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 rounded teaspoons garam masala
1 rounded teaspoon ground turmeric
2 cups red lentils
1 x 400 ml tin tomato puree (approximately 1 and 1/2 cups)
6 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup chopped parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Spray bottom of saucepan with cooking oil. Add onion and garlic to the pan and cook for 2 minutes.

Add garam masala and turmeric and cook for 30 seconds or so.

Add lentils, tomato puree and stock. Simmer for 25 minutes.  Just prior to serving add the parsley, salt and pepper, if needed.

Serves 5 - 6.

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.

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.

Onions are high in energy and have good amounts of B6, B1, and Folic acid in them.  They contain chemicals which fight free radicals in our bodies.  Free radicals cause disease and destruction in our cells.  Onions have anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties in them.  These properties are most potent when the onion is eaten raw.  Onions raise the levels of beneficial HDL cholesterol and they lower the levels of the bad LDL cholesterol. 

 

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