Indian-Spiced Lentil Soup

Yesterday, for no reason at all, I made a big pot of lentil soup.

Today we have ice and freezing rain/sleet in Ohio and that soup is mighty perfect.

I used Robin Robertson's recipe in her cookbook "Vegan Planet" which is great to have on hand when looking for something a little different or needing some culinary inspiration.

  https://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Planet-Revised-Irresistible-Fantastic/dp/1558328319/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=vegan+planet&qid=1581011571&sr=8-1

Robin has, in her more recent cookbooks, eliminated some of the oil she uses in her 'big' books, Vegan Planet and 1,000 Vegan Recipes, but of course it is easy enough to do a water saute in place of all of that oil.

This recipe is very forgiving and a great way to use up the extra veggies that seem to accumulate in the veggie drawer of the frig or pantry bin.  In addition to her sweet potato ingredient, I used up a few white potatoes.

The recipe is easily doubled, tripled, etc. and freezes nicely too.  The blend of cumin, coriander and cayenne increase the heat in a great way that is very comforting and the addition of ginger, makes this a great healing soup for winter's ills.

I omitted the cilantro and loaded up with more lentils than the recipe called for...a LOT more lentils which makes it a bit heartier.

Carmelizing the onions in a hot water saute really adds a nice flavor.

I keep trying to duplicate the great lentils that Trader Joe's sells ready-to-eat, and have been told that they steam theirs.  I pre-cooked the lentils for this soup by steaming in a double boiler; the cooking time is increased, but the flavor is great.

I added a can of Rotel tomatoes for that extra kick.

The original recipe has been duplicated here:

https://fi.pinterest.com/pin/308426274460538138/?lp=true

My version ended up being comprised of non-measured amounts of lentils, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, celery, sweet onions, spices, tomatoes with chilis and water/veggie stock.  As with most soups, it is even better the next day.

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With winter in Ohio settling in, I've got some extra indoor time to work on decluttering and sorting and have decided that the entire house needs to be gone through.  I'm employing my old "15-minute rule" that I used to go through a stockpile of boxes we had inherited with the passing of our parents.  I reasoned that I could do most anything for 15 minutes and actually set an egg-timer for 15 minutes to help me get through the first few times to allow for the daily habit to kick in.

I'm starting small, with one drawer/cupboard at a time and it amazes me how quickly a good habit can be incorporated once I push through the initial resistance.  And like any good habit, learning to incorporate a bit of discipline will spill over into other areas, which is probably why I'm finally back on this blog again!

Hoping 2020 brings good fortune to all who come across these words.

Sue, de-cluttering, again, in Ohio