Laudable Lentil Soup

I have been living off lentils, macaroni and cheese, beer bread, and split peas for the last two weeks, so as you can imagine, it's a damn good thing that I've got an awesomely easy recipe for lentil soup! Yes, the recipe is better than the one you've been using for years. How do I know? OH... I KNOW.

So the thing about lentils is that they're extremely versatile. You can use them to make Indian cuisine, veggie burgers, soup, salad, and things that I don't even know about yet! Hell, in a few years, I bet the next big thing will be lentil milk. Gross, but I may actually be on to something. Did you hear that? It's the sound of my bank account exploding because of my brilliant money-making venture! Anyway, because soup is cheap and low in calories if you do it right, my dear, I am a soup girl. I could seriously eat soup all day, every day, for the rest of my life, provided you slip me chocolate cupcake every now and again.

So here it is: My lentil soup recipe that doesn't call for anything weird. Cross my heart.

Ingredients:
8 cups chicken stock
2 cups uncooked lentils
1/2 tsp thyme (I didn't have thyme the second time I made it, so I used sage, and it turned out just fine)
1/2 tsp pepper
4 carrots, diced
2 onions, chopped
2 tsp oil for sauteing
4 bay leaves
salt to taste

Method:
1. In a large stock pot, saute your onions in 2 tsp oil. I don't generally do this because I prefer to keep fat out of my soup. However, sauteing the onions makes them sweet, which nicely complements the salty stock. So this time, branch out and saute those suckers until they're as transparent as a trampy top.

2. After your onions have become a bit clear, throw in everything else. Be reckless; dump everything in with no rhyme or reason. I am in no position to judge.

3. Simmer on medium for about 45 minutes or until your lentils are nice and soft.

4. Tell your husband to call his mother to tell her that your cooking is better than hers. There's no sense in keeping your talents a secret.



Pin It

Curried Lentils (Incredibly Easy!)

As I mentioned in my "Welcome" post, I don't like to prepare dishes that require an arm and a leg's worth of spices. That is why I have become quite a fan of all-in-one seasonings. I tend to stay away from "Italian seasoning", but McCormick's curry powder is actually kind of delicious! I know, I know... a thousand Indians just freaked out right now, but ya' know what... it's good enough for my all-American palate! For those of you from Rhode Island, I offer you the following warning: do not purchase curry powder from Job Lot. I have done this, and while it was a different type of dish (creamy chicken curry), my plate still looked like Benjamin Moore had personally dumped a bucket of dandelion-colored paint over my food and then proceeded to add random spices that made it taste the way I imagine a Japanese/Mexican/Cajun breakfast would.

Another word of warning: Before you make this, make sure you're wearing clothing that you don't mind throwing in the wash immediately after. Also make sure that you don't have anywhere to be right after dinner. In other words... if you plan to leave the house after your meal, be sure to shower and put on fresh clothes.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound of lentils
1 tsp curry powder (the one that comes in the small plastic cylindrical container... no need to break the bank and buy the one in the fancy glass jar)
1/2 boiling onion, diced
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 cups chicken stock (Or you can follow my ghetto lead and use bullion + water)
3 carrots, cut into 1/2" discs


Method:
1. Get a large pot.

2. Combine all ingredients and turn the stove heat to high. Cover and let the stock come to a boil.

3. When the chicken stock comes to a boil, turn the heat to medium. Let simmer until the lentils are soft, about 45 minutes.

4. Serve with rice. To make rice that's equally as ghetto as the chicken stock, cook the rice as directed on the package and add a handful of coconut. Sometimes I add a little bit of sugar, too. The sweetness mixed with the spiciness of the curry is a great combination. I'm sure you could amp up this rice to make it more legit by adding creme of coconut, but I like to do things on the cheap, and I am satisfied with it this way!

Happy eating!! Pin It