Vegetable Soup for Fellowship Hour

Even without being a vegetarian, it is good to be conscious about eating plenty of vegetables, beans and whole grains. This soup is hearty, has a great cumin flavor, and the lemon zest gives a delicious freshness to the dish.

In our family, we use it often as a main dish for our dinner – served with fresh homemade bread (yes, my children are allowed to dip the bread in the soup!), before a green lettuce, and with yogurt mixed with frozen berries as a dessert.

Bon appetit !                    

http://www.warnermemorial.org/uploads/spinach-soup-text.jpg
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 T ground cumin
  • 1 zest lemon, organic
  • 1 ½ cups brown lentils
  • 4 cups water or broth
  • 2 or 3 chopped fresh spinach (washed, stem removed. I suppose you could use frozen spinach...)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • chopped cilantro

 

Heat olive oil, stir in onion then garlic, cook until softened. Add spinach, cook 5 or 6 minutes. Remove from pan, blend thoroughly using a small electric blender. Reserve.

Put 4 cups of water, lentils, salt, cumin in a big pan or a pressure cooker, cook until lentils are slightly tender (12 to 13 minutes in a pressure cooker, 30 to 40 minutes otherwise).

 Add the spinach mix to the lentils, add the lemon zest, the broth. Cook 15 or 20 more minutes, uncovered, until the lentils begin to break apart. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot with chopped cilantro.