Thursday, October 22, 2009

SILKY RED LENTIL AND SWEET POTATO SOUP



I'm knee-deep in details for the fundraising bellydance show I'm organizing for this Saturday (yikes!), so I'm not doing much cooking OR blogging! But here's a soup that we had the other night and it's a favorite of ours. A friend of ours who cooked in a local restaurant loved it so much that she asked permission to serve it where she worked. Of course, I said yes!

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA’S RED LENTIL AND SWEET POTATO SOUP
Servings: 4


This soup makes a great light lunch, or a starter to a company meal. It’s a variation of the Turkish Red Lentil Soup in my book “The Fiber for Life Cookbook”. PS: If you prefer, saute the onions in a little olive oil.

2 small (or 1 medium) onions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
4 cups vegetarian broth
2 cups cubed, peeled sweet potatoes
2/3 cup red (or pink) lentils, rinsed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Freshly-ground pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt
Garnish:
Paprika or smoked paprika sprinkled on each bowl (you can sprinkle it in the shape of a heart, or other design, if you wish)

Steam-fry the onions in a large heavy skillet sprayed with oil from a pump sprayer-- adding a bit of water, broth or sherry as needed to keep the mixture from sticking-- until soft. OR, MICROWAVE OPTION (this saves time and effort, so it's the one I use, place in a microwavable dish (such as a Pyrex pie plate), cover with a microwavable plate, and microwave at full power for 5 minutes. Stir in the spices, blending well.

Add the onions to the broth, sweet potatoes, and lentils in a medium soup pot. Simmer for about 30 minutes, uncovered, or until the lentils are tender. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Process with a hand immersion blender right in the pot, or in a blender or food processor, until creamy. (IMPORTANT CAUTION: If you have to use a blender or food processor to do this, leave the middle part of the lid off so that hot air can escape-otherwise you may have exploding hot soup all over you! Cover the hole loosely with a folded cloth as you blend.)

Serve hot with paprika for a garnish.

Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving)
: 184.9 calories; 3% calories from fat; 0.8g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 157.9mg sodium; 469.7mg potassium; 36.3g carbohydrates; 6.0g fiber; 4.3g sugar; 30.3g net carbs; 9.5g protein; 3.0 points.

I'm coming up for air soon! Cheers!

7 comments:

  1. That soup looks amazing! I love the colors. Belly dancing huh? Hmmm...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mmmm that soup looks so yummy! I love "silky" soups. Its just the best texture for a soup, so comforting and indulgent tasting.
    http://whatyourmommadidntknow.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  3. The soup sounds fantastic. I love lentil soup so I need to try this. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    Alicia

    ReplyDelete
  4. This soup looks amazing! yummy!
    Debra @ Vegan Family Style
    ps don't forget the giveaway on my blog

    ReplyDelete
  5. I made a variation of this soup last night that we really enjoyed. The texture of the soup is fabulous. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    Alicia

    ReplyDelete
  6. This receipe is just GREAT. Back to childhood. A real pleasure to cook it, taste it, and take time.

    ReplyDelete