The apartment we're currently leasing here in Chicago has old-school radiator heating (which the landlord pays). This basically means that the radiators turn on about three times during the day/night, making it unbearably hot. The heat then quickly dissipates due to the apartment's poorly insulated windows and doors. We keep heated blankets and a sleeping bag (seriously!) on our couch to keep warm. Needless to say, I'm always decked out in multiple layers of clothing from head to toe (and yes, I really do mean head-to-toe, that includes wearing beanies indoors). In addition to snuggling in sleeping bags, we also eat generous amounts of hot soup to keep warm!
Lemony Lentil Soup
- 2 cups red lentils, picked over and rinsed
- 8 cups vegetable broth (or water)
- 2 bouillon cubes (Edward & Son makes a great vegan and GF bouillon) see link
- 1 large onion, diced
- juice of 1/2 - 1 lemon, a little under 1/4 cup I think
- 1 tsp. coriander
- 1/2 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2-3 large carrots, chopped
- 1 Tbsp. tamari or Bragg's
- Heat a large soup pot over medium heat and add 2 Tbsp. oil. Add the diced onion and sautee for about 5 minutes.
- Now add the garlic and black pepper. Stir. Cook another 3 minutes.
- Add the rinsed lentils to the pot, along with the carrots, tamari, veggie broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover for 1/2 hour, stirring occasionally.
- When lentils are tender, add the dry spices and bouillon cubes (if using).
- Add lemon juice before serving. Add more salt/pepper to taste!
