Soupy Twist! Zippy Lentil Soup

Just right for a chilly evening, this will warm your belly and stay within a somewhat tight budget.

Start with a good vegetable broth If you already have a favorite way to make this, go for it. If you're still a rookie, look in your veggie drawer for the stuff you're a few days away from composting, and toss it into a stock pot with water, salt, pepper, and herbs. You don't have to do anything fancy – just clean & chunk it all – beforehand. If you're still unsure of the concept, look to the Pioneer Woman's instructions, here, or Eating Well, here.

Or, if you've got the flexibility in your budget, you can buy a quart of the stuff from your local grocer.

Either way, you need a good stock, for starters.

After that, you need about 45 to 60 minutes, including prep time.

And a stock pot that holds at least 4 quarts.

And an appetite.

Have fun!

Zippy Lentil Soup

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
2-3 medium carrots, sliced or diced
1 medium onion, diced
3-4 garlic cloves (about 2-3 teaspoons, crushed or minced)
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed thyme (or several generous sprigs of fresh thyme, stems removed)
zest of 1 small lemon
2 cans (14.5 oz. each) diced fire-roasted tomatoes (or regular, if that's what you have), drained
1 cup lentils, sorted & rinsed (don't rinse until you're ready to add them into the mixture, as they're likely to cement themselves to each other as the moisture evaporates in the strainer)
4 cups broth
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more or less, to taste)
1–2 cups greens, (your choice. I prefer spinach or dandelion), stems and/or ribs removed, and coarsely chopped
1-2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:
In the bottom of the pot, heat oil on medium heat until it begins to shimmer, add carrots and cook, stirring frequently until they begin to soften. Add onion & stir constantly until they become transparent.

Stir in garlic, cumin, curry powder, thyme, and lemon zest, cooking until fragrant (just 30 seconds or so). Pour in tomatoes and simmer lightly.

Add lentils, salt, black pepper, pepper flakes, broth, and water. On high temperature, bring to full boil, reduce heat to medium, and, with lid partially covering, allow this to simmer about 25 minutes, until the lentils are tender.

Using a hand blender, give a quick whir (about 10 seconds) in one small section of the soup, or put about 2 cups of the soup into a blender and puree it before returning it to the pot (this makes for a creamier base). Add greens and cook only until the greens have softened (with spinach or dandelion, all you need to do is stir in. Kale or other heavier greens like mustard may take up to 5 minutes).

Remove from heat, add lemon juice.

Serve hot.

A nice companion to this is warm bread or toast of your favorite type, or, if you're feeling nostalgic, a grilled cheese sandwich.