Lentils are an excellent source of protein, fiber and folate. Combined with tomatoes, which are a great source of vitamin C and lycopene, this soup makes a wonderful, low fat, nutritious lunch or first course for an evening meal.

Ingredients:

* 1 tbsp olive oil
* 1 medium onion, finely chopped
* 1 garlic clove, crushed
* 1/2 tsp ground cumin
* 1/2 tsp ground coriander
* 1 lb chopped tomatoes (15 ounce can is fine).
* 3/4 cup red lentils.
* 5 cups of vegetable broth or homemade chicken broth.
* pinch of salt and pepper
* 4 tbsp of low fat sour cream or plain cream. (optional).
* 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro.

Preparation:
Heat oil in a large pan or Dutch oven. Add chopped onion and garlic, and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in cumin, coriander, chopped tomatoes and lentils. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add vegetable or chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a medium heat and simmer gently for 25-30 minutes or until lentils are soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Pour into a blender or food processor and blend/process until smooth. Return to pan and reheat gently. If you have an immersion blender, just blend away in the pot. We like it without blending.

Ladle soup into 4 bowls and garnish with a spoonful of sour cream, if using, and some fresh cilantro.

I serve it with toast. The kids and the husband like it, and I feel very smug, knowing they are having something healthy that took me so little time and effort!

The recipe is from About.com Low-fat cooking.

Halloween came and went. This time we carved a very large pumpkin. My six-year-old drew the smile on it and I carved it, after scraping out enough pumpkin for this delicious soup. If you have any fresh pumpkin left, try it. I served it last Saturday evening to a friend who was visiting for the weekend, and he requested more of it for breakfast!
I wouldn’t have it for breakfast, but it makes a wonderful lunch or supper.

Ingredients

- A knob of butter (about 2 T)
- 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 small potato, peeled and chopped
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- large pinch of cayenne (or hot paprika)
- large pinch of nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 8-10 cups pumpkin, seeded, peeled and chopped
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- splash of milk

In a soup pot, melt butter slowly. Add onion, garlic, potato and carrot and cook until softened,4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add pumpkin, spices, bay leaf, salt and pepper, and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Pumpkin and other vegetables should be very soft.
Discard bay leaf

Puree in a blender in small batches, or if you own an inmersion blender, puree it straight in the pot.

Stir in maple syrup, brown sugar and milk. Add salt and pepper to taste. Reheat if necessary before serving.

I served it with a dollop of sour cream the first time, and the second time with single cream. I like mine best without cream.

My first batch was amazing. The soup was creamy, spicy and satisfying, not heavy at all, and almost addictive!
My immersion blender stopped working properly after my four year old son used it to make peanut butter, so my second batch didn’t blend as nicely. The chunkier soup was still just as delicious.

The soup freezes very well.

Enjoy!

Credit where credit is due.
Do visit the blog. Her pictures are breathtaking!

Serve this soup on cold autum days, along with some crusty bread or toast. The coconut milk and chilies give this basic soup it’s exotic note.

Ingredients

- 600 grams potatoes (wax)
- 1 onion
- 2-3 Tablespoons oil
- 800 ml vegetable stock
- 3 celery stalks
- 2 green chilies
- 300 grams white fish fillets (cod, pollock…)
- juice from one lime
- salt, pepper
- 4 tomatoes
- 165 gr coconut milk (I use the whole 400 ml can. We like it!)

Peel, wash and dice potatoes.
Peel and chop onion.
Heat oil in a soup pot. Saute onion and potato cubes in the hot oil for a few minutes. Add stock and let the soup simmer for 30 minutes
Clean cellery stalks, cut off and save leaves and chop stalks in 1/2 cm slices.
Slice chilies lengthwise, clean, seed and slice. Add to the simmering soup when it’s half way through.
Wash and pat fish fillets dry. Season with lime juice, salt and pepper, and cut in bite sized pieces.
Skin tomatoes by dropping them into a pan of boiling water for a minute, and then running them under cold water. The skins will slide off easily.
Chop the tomato flesh, discarding the seeds, into strips.
When the soup is almost done, add coconut milk. Add fish and tomato strips to the hot soup and let them poach for five minutes.

Season the soup with lime juice, salt and pepper.
Serve immediately.