As I mentioned in my Earth Day Blog, I've been using a lot of legumes lately. They are high in nutrients and fiber, low in calories and costs. However, I have a problem with my lentil soup. In short, it tastes like dirt. Some decades-old recipe cards from my friend Liz took me to the USA's Dry Pea and Lentil Commission's recipe for Curried Lentil Soup.
The recipe was a big improvement over ordinary lentil soup. As my friend Kandy says, lentils need to be highly seasoned. The curry certainly does that, and I think I might have used more than the recipe calls for.
Curried Lentil Soup
2 Tbs. canola oil
2 leeks, white part only, or 1 large onion, chopped
1 celery stalk chopped finely
2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ Tbs. curry powder
1 cup dry lentils, rinsed and picked over
5 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 carrot, chopped
2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
2 tsp. salt
1 14 ½ -ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
½ cup plain yogurt or sour cream
Prepare vegetables before starting to cook.
Heat oil in a large saucepan or soup pot. Add leeks or onion and celery; sauté over medium heat until tender, stirring occasionally, about 5-10 minutes.
Stir in garlic and curry powder and sauté, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add lentils, water, bay leaf, salt, carrots and potatoes.
Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer soup for 30 minutes or until lentils are tender. Stir in tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove bay leaf. Stir about 1 tablespoon sour cream into each bowl of soup at serving time.
Serves 8, with 4 Weight Watchers points plus each.
(Live outside the U.S.? Recipe conversion suggestions on this post.)
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