Although the weather is still very warm in San Diego, yesterday just seemed to call for a big bowl of soup. I typically make soup at the end of a week when the leftover veggies in my refrigerator are calling to me. You know the ones…the unusually small carrots that weren’t large enough for the spiralizer, half an onion leftover from our veggie burgers, celery sticks the kids didn’t manage to eat, and miscellaneous potatoes just sitting in the basket. My weekly soup is nothing special in terms of planning or ingredients, but somehow I always find the love that goes into our family style soup makes it delicious and satisfying. This week I was inspired by a jar of red lentils purchased from the bulk section about a month ago with intentions to use in another recipe that never came to life. Haha! I’m sure many of you can relate to that dilemma. The good news is, my daughter Megan loves lentils – so there you go…INSPIRATION! Our Indian Spiced Red Lentil Soup was easy to make, full of flavor and made for a fantastic vegan meal. After dinner, Megan packaged up the leftovers to be eaten for lunch today.
Benefits of Red Lentils:
Red Lentils are high in fiber and low on the glycemic index. That’s a win-win for many folks with blood sugar issues. Red lentils also provide plenty of muscle-building vegan protein, calcium and iron.
Ingredient Transparency:
Red Lentils: Whole Foods Market, Encinitas
Organic Volcano Rice™ from Lotus Foods
Veggies: Whole Foods Market Encintias
Fresh Herbs: My own backyard herb garden which is nothing fancy, just my go-to herbs growing in a few large pots. 🙂
Garam Masala Spice: Spicely Organics
- 2 cups cooked Lotus Foods Organic Volcano Rice
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 cup red lentils
- 6 cups veggie broth (I love making my own, but feel free to purchase an organic and low sodium version from the market)
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 3 carrots, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 - 2 tablespoons freshly chopped herbs. I used rosemary, sage & thyme from my garden.
- 1 tablespoon Spicely Organics Garam Masala Spice
- Himalayan sea salt to taste
- Fresh cracked pepper to taste
- Prepare volcano rice according to package directions. Set aside when cooking is complete.
- Sort through red lentils making sure to remove any stones or debris. Rinse thoroughly and drain.
- Using a large soup pot, sauté onion, carrots and garlic in coconut oil for 3-4 minutes. Add fresh, chopped herbs, lentils and Garam Masala Seasoning. Give a good stir.
- Add 6 cups veggie broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, about 25-30 minutes.
- Add 2 cups cooked rice.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serving Suggestion: This soup goes well with a big green salad or simple crackers and hummus.
- ENJOY!
- vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free
- All recipes and images are protected under copyright laws and owned by Kris Kelly and Goofy Foot Foods.