Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Luscious Lentils for Dinner


Being a full-time working mom has created many new challenges for me but I refuse to let Healthy Cooking fall by the wayside. I also refuse to add any unnecessary stress to my already hectic life. Having said that, I cook 98% of all our meals, and I swear it is what keeps me going most days! While I'm not the most organized person in the world, I have acquired a few staple meals that I cycle through every few weeks. Lentil soup is a NEW recipe for me, and while it was not the tastiest soup that I've made, it satisfied our bellies and actually tasted better the next day.

I cooked the Lentil Soup on Monday night but we didn't eat it then. Instead, I re-heated the soup on Tuesday and cooked it a little longer than expected, so that when I went to remove it from the stove it looked more like a bean dip than a soup! I got rave reviews from the family on this one, so I decided to post it here for all my followers. Please feel free to let me know what you thought, or if there are other ways or ingredients to make Lentil Soup. For now, I am very pleased with this soup's ease, simplicity, and comforting appeal. I hope you are too!

Ingredients:
2 cups of Green Organic Lentils (soaked overnight)
3 Tablespoons of Pasture Butter
1 Organic Yellow Onion (diced)
3 large Organic Carrots (chopped)
4 cloves of Organic Garlic (chopped)
2 small Organic Russet Potatoes, Peeled and chopped
8 cups of Organic Chicken or Vegetable Broth (I use homemade Bone Broth)
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. In a large pot, toss the butter, onions, garlic, carrots, & potatoes and saute' for about 8-10 minutes.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook (uncovered) on medium heat for 90 minutes or until the lentils are soft. You can continue to add more liquid as it boils down, or you can make a thicker soup consistency.

Serve warm with fresh bread, or boil down the water until it becomes like a "bean dip" and serve with Tortilla chips!