101 Lentils

Winter in New England is a time for chili, stews and soups. So on Saturday when I saw this recipe for Lively Up Yourself Lentil Soup over at 101 Cookbooks, I decided to give it a try. That usually means "when I get around to it" but I love lentils, and something about the simplicity of this recipe struck me, so I made it last night.

I made this soup using organic kale, one bunch from my local Whole Foods Market, and organic French green lentils, since I was unable to find black beluga lentils. I also used fire-roasted tomatoes, just as Heidi suggested, and an organic yellow onion. I added in copious amounts of freshly cracked black pepper and a few pinches of crushed red chili flakes for a little extra seasoning.


This is a quick and easy soup, from board to bowl in under an hour. But since I was waiting for J to return from an afternoon out with a friend, I let my pot simmer on low for an extra hour. All the flavors came together nicely. The firm, yet soft green lentils, the fire-roasted tomatoes, the kale, the onion, and the cool saffron yogurt made this a perfect Sunday evening supper. The cracked black pepper and crushed red chili flakes I added in gave the soup a nice little kick that warmed me through. We enjoyed this soup with a fresh herb salad with sliced English cucumber and organic grape tomatoes. With a little Annie's Natural Goddess dressing on the salad we had ourselves a complete and healthy, delicious meal. I highly recommend giving this soup a try. It's simple, flavorful, and great the next day. It's also versatile, as Heidi mentions in her recipe, you can use any dark, leafy green and add little things to change it up the next time you make it. I'll try the crunchy, fried shallots suggestion next time, that sounds great!