I haven't much experience with lentils. They have not landed on my dining room table very often. My lentils have sat in their storage container for some time and I have wondered "What to do" with those lentils.
In the mood and really in the "need" for something healthy I thought I would give those forgotten lentils a try.
I just used what I had handy and this soup was delicious. It had just enough spice and lots of veggies.
The Recipe:
2 cups dry lentils
3 carrots chopped
3 stalks of celery chopped
2 Cups diced tomatoes
1 onion chopped
6-8 cups chicken stock or water
3 cloves garlic minced finely
2 cups fresh spinach rinsed and chopped
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons curry or to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste
Rinse lentils and “pick” for debris. Place in stock/soup pan and add chicken stock. Bring to a boil and lower heat to simmer for 20 minutes covered.
Meanwhile heat olive oil in skillet, add carrots, celery,tomatoes,spinach, onion, garlic, pepper flakes, ginger, and curry. Stir and cook until onions are clear.
Add vegetable mixture to lentils, cover and simmer for an additional 20 minutes.
Remove from heat, serve with rice underneath or mmmm mixed in...
