Red Lentil Soup

I could eat soup everyday. It's quite possibly the perfect food. It can be made raw or cooked, from beans, lentils, veggies or fruits. The possibilities are endless. Lentil soup is one of my favorites, and even that has many varieties. There are brown lentils, french green lentils and these lovely red lentils.

Unfortunately they lose their lovely color when cooked, but they taste wonderful. Red lentils also lose their shape when cooked, taking on a thick, creamy consistancy similar to pea soup. Lentils are the convenience food of the legume family, requiring no presoaking. Which makes them perfect for a spur of the moment soup.

Soup is one of the most fun things to cook because it is so forgiving. You can add things, substitute ingredients, totally change the recipe from one time to the next and it is still always tasty. It's hard to mess up soup. And it never gets boring.

Here's my current red lentil soup recipe. What's your favorite soup?

Red Lentil Soup

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 c. red lentils

3 T. brown rice

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 qt. vegetable broth

2 c. water

Place all ingredients in large pot, simmer covered 1 hr. till thick and creamy. Serve sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper.