This soup reminds me of my Mom. Not that the soup looks like my Mom or anything like that, but she used to make a soup just like this and with every bite it’s a little piece of nostalgia! With her being a Vegetarian and being the main cook in the house, I grew up eating mostly lentils, tofu, beans, and vegetables. Her lentil soup had just the same amount of  zest and flavor as this one!

I thank my Mom for all my ways of healthy eating. My parents just visited us in Boston this past weekend, and my Mom and I got into a long conversation about how “healthy” eating tastes so normal to us. Our taste buds would much prefer that kale salad with tofu and sunflower seeds than a juicy hamburger. I know it’s so odd, right? My Dad would definitely have to disagree as he was rolling his eyes at us during this whole conversation. I guess you can say that if my body and organs could talk, they would congratulate my Mom and I on this healthy food preference, giving us the ‘healthy food eater’ medal of honor.

Well here it is, a healthy delicious soup that doesn’t actually have to taste “healthy” and it’s HUSBAND APPROVED!!

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp coconut oil (you can also use olive oil or sesame oil instead)
2 cups red lentils, rinsed and picked over
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves or 4 small ones
1/2 tsp minced ginger
2 carrots chopped
2 celery sticks chopped
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp curry powder
7 cups vegetable or chicken stock (I use low sodium)
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

Click to see the directions! 

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat the coconut oil (or other type of oil you so desire) over medium/low heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is a light golden color.

2. Mix in the carrots and celery and sauté for about a minute. Then add the chili powder and curry powder and sauté for another minute being careful not to burn the garlic.

3. Add in the ginger and lentils and sauté for a minute stirring everything to coat.

4. Then, add the vegetable or chicken stock and bay leaf  (take the bay leaf out when the soup is finished) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the lentils are fully cooked.

5. Finally, add the lemon juice and top it off with a little salt and pepper to taste.