Spicy Lentil Soup

from The Joy of Monastery CookingMakes 6-8 servings

2 1/2 cups black lentils
1/2 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1/4 cup olive oil
4 onions, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced thinly
1 large carrot, cut into small dice
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
3 tablespoons tomato puree
4 cloves garlic, minced
11 cups vegetable stock or water
salt and cayenne
2 teaspoons paprika
1 long strip lemon zest
1 tablespoon ground cumin
6-8 tablespoon plain soy yogurt, for garnish
finely chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

1. Place the lentils and rice in a bowl filled with water and set aside for 30 minutes. Rinse and drain.

2. Heat the oil in a large soup pot, them add the onions, celery, carrot, and tomatoes, and saute lightly over medium heat, stirring continually. After 4 or 5 minutes, add the tomato puree and garlic. Cook, stirring, for another minute or two.

3.Add the lentil mixture, vegetable stock or water, salt and cayenne, paprika, lemon zest, and cumin. Stir well. Cover the pot and bring the soup to a boil. Allow it to boil for about 5 minutes.

4. Lower the heat to medium-low, stir, cover the pot and allow the soup to simmer for 40-45 minutes, until the vegetables are thoroughly cooked. Check the seasonings, remove the lemon zest, and serve the soup hot. Place 1 tablespoon of yogurt at the center of each serving, surrounded by the cilantro.

Note: I used just water, not broth and this turned out great. However, I ended up with way more serving than what was suggested. It fed my family of five and I still had enough left to freeze 3 baggies with 3 cups each in them for future lunches or dinners. When I served this I put a layer of polenta in the bottom of a bowl with sauteed spinach on top of the polenta and the lentil soup on top of the spinach. This was a hands down yummy and warming supper.

To make this into curried lential soup I simply added 1-2 teaspoons curry powder to the finished recipe, this depends on your taste really. These were the baggies that I put up for lunch to use over rice or potatoes.