Lentils Save the Day!

It is November and cold in Davis, Ca. It isn't normally this chilly and in fact, I just finished covering up my sedums with plastic to avoid possible sudden death after tonight's predicted freezing temperatures. Usually I don't put on a heavy wool sweater here until mid December simply because it is not cold enough. My husband likes to joke that our winters are like summer in New Hampshire and I tend to agree...but not tonight. Tonight it is cold and my body is craving something warm and nourishing. I had already planned to make pumpkin pancakes for the boys this evening and was looking forward to the lovely, aromatic smell of cinnamon and cloves cooking with the pumpkin, but what was I going to make? I can't eat gluten so no pancakes for me. I didn't want to go back out to the store, because of the crazy Thanksgiving shoppers denuding the shelves in frenetic fashion, so I decided to concoct an impromptu soup of French lentils and whatever veggies were in the refrigerator. The soup turned out amazingly well with no particular recipe...just a dash of this and that. I want to share it with you because it was so easy and so deliciously nourishing.

Here it is:

Ingredients:

2 Cups French lentils (cleaned)

1 Leek

1 Carrot

2 Turnips

3 Cloves garlic

Fresh cilantro

Cumin

Turmeric

Chipotle pepper

Cinnamon

Sea salt

A sip of red wine (both for you and the soup)

Can of Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes (or whatever you have)

Vegetable broth (I have some in a box)

Rice cheese (or any cheese you have lying around)

Olive oil

Greens

Directions:

Gently saute sliced carrot, leek, chopped turnips with garlic in some olive oil

Add a good bit of fresh cilantro

Add spices with a generous hand...no amounts here...but be sure to be generous!!

After a few minutes, add lentils and stir it up

Add an appropriate amount of veggies broth or water to make a soup...remember that lentils expand so be sure to account for this

Add more seasoning (I added more cumin, pepper and salt) and wine...

Cover the pot

Cook until done and yummy and let sit for a little while

Saute some greens

Add soup to your bowl, add some grated cheese and some greens and that is it!