Warming lentil and vegetable Soup

There’s nothing quite like a winter vegetable soup to make you feel warm on the inside, when it’s cold on the outside! I like my soup to have something to chew, the benefit of chewing your food produces saliva which begins the breakdown of carbohydrates in the mouth, the more you chew the more digestive enzymes are produced and the better your food is broken down. Serve with a warm crusty piece of wholemeal bread or I like ABO Organic Gluten-Free Buckwheat 3 Grain Bread Loaf.

Ingredients

• 1 jar (360g) or can of cooked brown lentils – I use Biona organic
• 1 tablespoon of oil; I use coconut or olive
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• 6 cups of vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, kale, beans
• 1 Courgette (chopped into small chunks)
• Juice of one lemon
• 1 stick of celery
• 1 Large onion
• 3 cups of water/veg stock (I use the leftover water from steaming the veg)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Steam the 6 cups of vegetables for 15 minutes
2. Add the cooked vegetables and the 3 cups of water left from steaming them into a blender and blend; add more water if a thinner constancy is required
3. Meanwhile add the oil to a pan and cook the onions and celery until soft, add the cumin, curry powder and cinnamon and cook for a minute or two
4. Add the blended vegetables and water to the pan of onions, celery and spices and mix together
5. Add the tin/jar of lentils to the soup, along with the frozen peas and courgette cook for a further 5 minutes
6. Season with salt to taste and add the juiced lemon
7. Serve with warm crusty bread, Gluten free if required or you could add cooked rice to the soup.