Red Lentil Soup

This lentil soup is simple yet so tasty and comforting!


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

1. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat and add 2 Tbsp. oil. Add the diced onion and sautee for about 5 minutes. 
2. Now add the garlic and black pepper. Stir. Cook another 3 minutes. 
3. 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.
4. When lentils are tender, add the dry spices and bouillon cubes (if using).
5. Add lemon juice before serving. Add more salt/pepper to taste!

Classic Carrot Ginger Soup

This soup has just a few simple ingredients, but don't let that fool you! I love the ginger zesty-ness of this soup paired with the slight sweetness of carrots! This is a very warming and stimulating soup brimming with vitamin A for glowing skin. Yum!

Ingredients

• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. ginger root, peeled and sliced thin
• 1.5 bunches of carrots (I use about 10-11 medium carrots), or roughly 3 cups of chopped carrots
• 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup soymilk (or other non-dairy milk)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup or honey (although I know honey isn't considered "vegan")
• 1 tsp. black pepper

1. Heat olive oil, onion, ginger and garlic in large soup pot on stove. Sautee for about 2 minutes.
2. Add 2 cups broth, soymilk, pepper, honey(or maple syrup), and carrots. 
3. Bring mixture to a simmer. Heat this until carrots are soft.
4. Remove the pan from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes (maybe 10-20 minutes). You will be blending this hot mixture next.
5. Blending 1 cup at a time, in batches, blend the soup to a puree.
6. Return the blended soup back to the pot and bring back to a simmer. Serve. 

* I topped mine with some pumpkin seeds (for some added zinc and protein). *

* You could also serve this with some brown rice for extra fiber *

* Try it with some brown rice and half an avocado *

* The variations are endless. Have fun being creative! *

Rustic Cabbage Soup

I've been a bit bored lately with the soups I usually make. These soups most often include beans, italian spices, tomatoes, and some kind of hearty green (kale or swiss chard). They're perfect for cold winter nights and are so hearty and filling.
This cabbage soup is also great for cold winter nights, but I found it to be a bit lighter and more broth-y than other soups I've made. I still liked it, though.


I came upon this soup recipe from Heidi at 101 cookbooks. I don't know if it's just because I'm a fan of the word rustic, but this recipe sounded great! I added some more seasonings to my version and I completely recommend doing so.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (or canola oil)
• 3 large redskin potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 5 cups vegetable stock (I used Edward & Sons Vegan Bouillon Cubes)
• 2 cups white beans, canned or precooked (navy, great northern, or cannellini)
• 1 medium green cabbage, cored and sliced into short strips
• 1 tsp. thyme
• 3 tsp. seasoning mixture (mine includes: black peppercorn, crushed rosemary, salt, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper)
• This is the kind I used: McCormick Cracked Peppercorn Herb mix

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil or canola oil in a big soup pot over med-high heat.
2. Stir in the cubed potatoes with a pinch of salt. Cover the pot and cook until potatoes are a little tender, around 5 minutes. Be sure to stir a few times (mine sort of burnt to the bottom of the pan a bit, oops!)
3. Stir in the garlic and chopped onion, cook for a few more minutes.
4. Add the veggie stock and white beans and bring to a simmer. 
5. Stir in the cabbage and cook a few more minutes, until cabbage is slightly soft.
6. Add thyme and other seasonings. I used a mixture that's marketed as a roasting rub mix made by McCormick.

Split Pea and Red Lentil Coconut Soup

In the heart of winter, our dinners are often a soup or stew. I had a bag of split green peas in the cupboard and my internet search for green split pea recipes led me to:

1.) Gluten Free Goddess - Kicked Up Coconut Split Pea Soup
and
2.) 101 cookbooks - Coconut Red Lentil Soup

I also had a new jar of Thai Kitchen's Green Curry Paste that I've been waiting to try out but didn't really know what to do with it. So, in blending the 2 recipes above, I came up with my own delicious lentil-y green curry-y soup. Please excuse the bland photo. It tastes much better than it looks!

Ingredients

• 1 cup green split peas, rinsed
• 1 cup red lentils, rinsed until water is clear
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 cups vegetable broth (or water + salt)
• 1/2 tsp. ginger, minced
• 1 Tbsp. curry powder
• 1-2 tsp. Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste
• 1/2-1 can of coconut milk (I used about 1/2 a can, and then used the leftover for a tropical smoothie!)
• 1 cup cooked brown rice (optional)

Directions

1. Place the rinsed split green peas in a large pot of water or vegetable broth (enough to cover the peas) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, simmer for 30 minutes, or until tender.
2. After peas have simmered 30 minutes, add the garlic, red lentils, curry paste, other spices, any remaining broth that wasn't used for simmering the peas, and coconut milk. 
3. Simmer, uncovered, for another 20-30 minutes until desired consistency is reached. I like this better when it's thicker, so I simmer for a little bit longer.
4. I served this over some brown rice and also thought it was good with some fresh lime juice drizzled on top! 

White Bean and Kale Stew

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 bunch of organic Kale, washed and stems removed
• 2 potatoes (any kind, really), peeled and chopped into cubes
• 4 cloves of garlic (about 2 tsp.), minced
• 2 tsp. oregano
• 2 Tbsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. Thyme
• 1 cup organic frozen green beans
• 2 - (15oz.) cans of white beans (navy or cannellini), drained and rinsed
• 1 - (14.5oz.) can of Muir Glen Organic Diced Tomatoes, Fire Roasted 
• 3 cups vegetable broth and 1 cup water
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 
• Garnish with shaved parmesan if desired
  

Organic Kale

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot/saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 6 minutes. Add the cubed potatoes and garlic and continue to saute for 1 more minute.
2. Add the oregano, thyme, and basil. Stir until onions and potatoes are coated. Add the vegetable broth and cup of water, can of tomatoes, and white beans. Bring to a boil. 
3. Add the green beans and kale. Reduce the heat to low. Simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes. Add sea salt and fresh pepper, to taste.