Recipe: Curried Lentil Soup

I’m so excited to have Laura Sears guest post on The Balanced Life today! This recipe couldn’t come at a better time. As summer turns to Fall, we’re all in the mood for warm, hearty soup. This recipe is healthy & simple; two key ingredients in maintaining balance throughout the week.

Laura Sears is a food writer and the blogger behind LB’s Good Spoon.  Born and raised in Ohio she is both molded by those roots and the ones she grew in Santa Barbara, California.  Her love for local, seasonal food blossomed in Santa Barbara, along with the nickname LB and her love for gardening.  She now resides in DC. Living in DC has been an adjustment but she’s been encouraged by the number of farmers markets and local suppliers of meat and dairy.  You can follower her at LB’s Good Spoon.

Curried Lentil Soup
by: laura sears

This meal doesn’t take too long to prepare, especially if you’re like me and buy the package of already made lentils and drop the whole shabang into the soup. It cooks up in no time. (Coincidentally, Robin posted about these lentils last week!)

Recipe thanks to and loosely adapted from Molly Wizenberg, as seen in Bon Appetit:

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 package prepared lentils from trader joes
(or 1 cup French green lentils)
4 1/4 cups water
1 can (15 oz) chickpeas drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter

1.  Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat and add onion and carrot and season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is cooked, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes.  Add 1 tablespoon garlic and cook about 4 minutes.

2.  Add 2 tablespoons curry powder and stir until fragrant, about a minute.  Add lentils and 4 cups water , season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil.  If the lentils are not cooked you’ll need to cook this for 30 minutes. If your lentils are, well then you’re just fine.

3.  Puree chickpeas, lemon juice, 1/4 cup water, and 2 tablespoons olive oil, and remaining 1 tablespoon garlic.  Add chickpea puree and butter to the soup, season with salt and pepper to taste, stir til combined, heat through, and enjoy!