Vegetarian Lentil Soup

Vegetarian Lentil Soup
From The Illustrated Kitchen Bible

Hands-on time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped (Ruth’s note: I didn’t have any on hand and the soup still tasted great)
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 cloves, garlic, minced
1-2 tsp curry powder
5 ½ cups vegetable stock (Ruth’s note: lucky me, I had some home-made Roasted Vegetable broth in the freezer)
¾ cup red lentils (Ruth’s note: they’re the tiny little red lentils that cook in a flash, no need to soak)
½ cup tomato or vegetable cocktail juice
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Ruth’s Note: to chop the vegetables, I used my food processor…drop the peeled garlic cloves down the feeder tube with the motor running. Add the peeled and quartered onion and move to a bowl. Pulse the carrots and celery (cut into 2-3” pieces first) until finely chopped and add to the onions & garlic.

2. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chopped vegetables and cook, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.

3. Add the curry powder and stir for about 1 minute. Add the vegetable stock/broth, lentils and juice and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to allow the soup to simmer for about 20 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ruth’s note: Sprinkle a little fresh cilantro, chopped or as the book suggests, top with a spoonful of plain yoghurt.