SERVES:
4 - 6
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup green lentils
1/2 cup diced onion (all vegetables are 1/2-inch dice)
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced peeled carrot
1 cup diced potato (peeled or unpeeled)
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 Tbs curry powder (or more to taste)
one 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (plus another 1 - 1 1/2 cups as needed)
approx. 4 - 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
salt and pepper to taste
plain yogurt for garnish (optional)
diced apple, tossed with curry powder for garnish (optional but good)
PROCEDURE:
Add a good splash of olive oil to a heavy bottomed soup pot on medium to medium high heat and saute about 1/2 cup each of 1/2-inch diced onion, celery and peeled carrot, add about 1 cup of diced potato and cook those along to soften.
Stir the vegetables occasionally and, while they're cooking, pour 1 cup of green lentils onto one end of a baking tray and sort through them making sure there are no stones or clumps of dirt.
Once the onion is translucent, add one large minced clove of garlic and add 2 Tbs curry powder and cook that along for a minute.
Then add the lentils, add one 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes and add 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth and bring it up to a simmer.
Adjust the heat so it's just simmering along, it's going to take around 30 minutes for the lentils to cook.
The soup will have thickened up quite a bit as the lentils finish cooking and, at that point, add another 1 cup of broth or water and add as much fresh baby spinach as you like and let that wilt down, season it to taste and it's time to eat.
Serve it up with an optional dollop of plain nonfat yogurt and some diced apple tossed with a little curry powder.
HINTS:
Use a package of defrosted frozen chopped spinach instead of fresh baby spinach.
Use water instead of broth when thinning out the soup at the end of the cooking process.