Day 87: Lentil Soup

There is nothing better for Saturday supper than a bowl of lentil soup and a good piece of bread. I've said it before and I will say it again, lentils are one of the most perfect foods that God has made.

Lentil soup is the easiest soup to make. No broth is required, and no sauteeing or otherwise pre-cooking the vegetables. Home made Lentil Soup has it all over anything that comes in a can as well. Have you ever taken note of how much salt there is in canned lentil soup? Making it yourself will also save you a bundle. I am going to do an actual cost calculation - I will gather prices next time I visit the grocery store and report to you here - but I bet I can make a big pot of soup that serve about 8 people (with big dinner-sized bowls) for about the price of a can of premium soup that will serve two people at most.

Basic Lentil Soup - from the MooseWood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen
Rinse 1 bag of dried brown lentils, put them in a pot with 7-8 cups of water and 2 tsp salt, bring them to a boil, then turn down to low and simmer gently for 20 minutes or so.
Meanwhile - chop: 1 onion, 2 Carrots, 2 stalks of celery and 8 cloves of garlic
When the lentil have cooked for 20 minutes, add all the vegetables plus:1 tsp dried basil and 1/2 tsp each dried thyme leaves and dried oregano - mix it up, then simmer for another 20  minutes.
Add 1 can chopped tomatoes, or chopped stewed tomatoes and cook for 10 more minutes.
Serve with a splash of red wine vinegar (or some freshly grated parmesan) or both.
Variations:
1. Leave out the carrots and celery and instead add 4-6 cups chopped fresh spinach with the tomatoes
2. Add any small cooked pasta (tubetine, small bowties, even elbows) to either version

Day 20: Lentils and Rice

I had to work from 2:30 to 10 pm and the hospital cafeteria is not open on Sunday night. I left the family to their own devices (there were still Thanksgiving leftovers in the refrigerator) and made myself a quick supper to take with me from leftovers that didn't make it onto the Thanksgiving table. I had some extra lentils and rice from the stuffing I prepared for the Portobello Mushrooms on Friday and some chopped tomatoes from the Autumn Vegetable Soup preparations ( I chopped what the recipe called for, but it seemed like too many tomatoes for the perfect balance of that lovely soup - I have been making it for years  and I know how I like it, so I left some out). I mixed some lentils with some rice and the chopped tomatoes in a glass bowl. I added some chopped arugula from the CSA share and some dried basil, and oregano, salt and pepper. I grated some Parmesan cheese and packed that separately. When it was time for dinner, I heated the lentil mixture in the microwave and mixed in the cheese. That is my idea of a perfect dinner.

Day 9: Lentil soup and Grilled cheese

The Lentil soup - final container from the freezer of the batch I made a week or so ago. I used the recipe from the original Moosewood cookbook by Mollie Katzen. Tonight, I added some  mini bow-tie pasta and Parmesan cheese.

Grilled Cheese: 2 slices whole wheat Lanella bread, 1 1/2 slices low fat Swiss cheese, 1 roasted pepper from a jar (Organic Mediterranean) sliced, olive oil cooking spray.

Hit the spot.