A hearty and delicious cool weather meal is this lentil soup, with added veggies, wine and lots of flavour.

Lentils do have higher carbs but they are also are high in protein and fiber. Of course, you can moderate your amounts, depending on your own health situation. For more lentil nutrition info, go to the link marked * at the end of this post.

Some lentil soups are too watery, and some are too thick. This one has the right balance of broth and substance. You can also add other vegetables, and even bacon, but this is how I make it.

I recently made this Soup with red lentils from a brand called “Pereg”— and was disappointed that these lentils never got totally tender, even after a lot of cooking- first one hour, then two subsequent cookings, (I made a large batch so we had leftovers), for 1/2 hr. To 45 minutes each time. Also I added cumin and all spice, so the flavor was interesting. All in all, still good, but next time I’ll stick with green or brown lentils. Have any of you, dear readers, had the same experience?

Veggie Lentil Soup

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4-1 cup dried brown or green lentils, rinsed.
• 2-3 cups broth (I use low sodium chicken broth, but vegetable works fine too)
• 32 oz. can of crushed or chopped plum tomatoes (I use unsalted) or if you have home-canned lucky you
• 4-5 carrots, in 1/2 ” rounds
• 2-3 sticks of celery, chopped in 1/2″ pieces, with 2-3 tbsp. chopped green tops
• 1 large onion, chopped into medium pieces
• 3-4 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 1/3 cup dry white wine (your choice, I use whatever we have leftover)
• 2-4 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• lemon zest to taste
• 1 large Bay leaf
• Optional: 1-2 hot dogs or cooked chicken sausages, chopped into 1/2″ pieces
• Salt free seasoning/pepper to taste

TO DO:

1. Preheat large saute pan.

2. Add olive oil, chopped onion, celery and carrots. Brown and sauté on medium high heat approx. 10 minutes, until somewhat tender. Add garlic and sauté 2 more minutes, making sure garlic doesn’t burn.

3. Add veggies to a large pot or Dutch oven. Add lentils, and rest of ingredients, except for lemon zest.

4. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn down heat to a slow simmer.

5. Simmer on low for approx. 30-40 minutes

6. Test for tenderness (carrots and lentils especially)

7. Add lemon zest and adjust spices and seasonings to taste.

8. You can also use a hand blender if you like a smoother texture (or remove some of the soup to a blender and add back into the pot)

9. Serve with the always delish green salad, https://type2delicious.com/2014/11/18/salad-with-goat-cheese-pears-and-mustardgarlic-vinaigrette/

And whole grain toast if you like. I also like a dollop of plain Greek yogurt to top off my bowl!

*http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/CarbsInGrains/a/Carbs-In-lentils.htm

Enjoy!

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