Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering, about 3 minutes. Add the celery, carrot, and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Season with several generous pinches of salt and pepper.
Add the vegetable broth, tomatoes with their juices, lentils, bay leaf, and thyme and stir to combine. Cover and bring to a simmer. Can take 15-30 minutes.
Once simmering, reduce the heat to low and continue simmering, covered, until the lentils and vegetables are soft.
Taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed, then stir in the red wine or sherry vinegar. Add the spinach and stir until wilted.
For a creamier texture, you can purée half of the soup in a blender and add it back to the pot.
Once the soup is almost done, add in the cumin, chicken bouillon and cayenne pepper (or your pepper of choice).
These seasonings give it a unique twist and make the soup super awesome!
Recipe Notes
Note: The original recipe came from this website. However, I changed it a bit and added my own seasonings and now it's my favorite lentil recipe.
-1 tbsp. avocado oil
-4 leeks, chopped and washed (about two cups)
-3 stalks celery, chopped
-3 cloves garlic, sliced
-1/2 cup sunflower seeds
-1 cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley
-4 cups vegetable stock
-4 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach, packed
-Salt and freshly ground black pepper
-6 radishes, sliced then
-3 ounces chevre
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large saucepan, and saute the leeks and celery until almost tender. Add the garlic and seeds, and saute for another five minutes, then add the parsley and stock.
Cover and simmer over low heat until the vegetables are tender.
Add the spinach and cook for just a couple of minutes.
Puree the soup until smooth, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish each bowl with the radishes and chevre.
Note: Try blending chia seeds or flax seeds into your soups – it adds a creamy quality to it and boosts the health benefits!
Sources: Inspiration from Experience Life Magazine, April 2014 edition
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ground thyme
2 teaspoons ground coriander
6 very large or about 8 medium carrots, peeled and chopped, about 3 cups
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups organic vegetable stock
Bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oil in a large pot, then add the onions, garlic, thyme and coriander and sauté till soft.
Add the carrots, parsley, salt and pepper and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
Pour in the vegetable stock, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes until the carrots are tender.
Remove from heat and cool, then puree till smooth.
If the consistency is too thick, add more vegetable stock and puree.
Adjust seasonings to taste, heat through and sprinkle with cilantro before serving.
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Ingredients:
