Black Lentil Carrot Soup

A Delicious Way to Stay Balanced This Winter

Ayurveda is one of the world’s oldest form of preventative health care system.  Ayurveda focuses on eating foods that balance and support your dosha(s).  This soup offers the six tastes of Ayurveda: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, pungent and astringent.  Eating meals with all six tastes ensures that you are receiving the optimal amount of nutrients you need for wellness.  Black Lentil and Carrot Soup helps to balance all the doshas with an abundance of vegetables and balancing spices.   Enjoy this soup on cold fall and winter days.

Ingredients:

1 large red onion.  Dice up one half of it and with the other half, slice into very thin rings.

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

4 – 5 Tbs of virgin olive oil

2 ½ cups of diced carrots ( add some purple carrots to boost thephytochemical component and add anthocyanin, an antioxidant)

1 cup diced celery

1 cup chopped Russian Kale (or any other variety of kale)

8 cups of filtered water

1 ½ cup black lentils (rinsed)

Dried Spices:

½ tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cardamom powder

1 tsp fennel seeds

¼ tsp cinnamon

2-3 tsp sea salt (or to taste)

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 bay leaves

slice of lime or lemon for each serving

Cooking Method:

Preheat oven to 400 deg F

  1. Mix the thinly sliced red onion rings with 1Tbs olive oil and place in a small baking dish (or pie dish or cast iron skillet) and bake for 15 min.
  2. In a large pot, heat 3-4 Tbs of olive oil on medium-low heat. Add smoked paprika, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cardamom powder, fennel seeds, and cinnamon powder to olive oil and saute for 1 min.
  3. Add diced onions, minced garlic and ginger and saute for 2 min.
  4. Add diced carrots, celery, kale and saute for another 10 min until vegetables are tender.
  5. Add black lentils, water, sea salt, black pepper and bay leaves to the pot.
  6. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally.
  7. Uncover and add baked onion rings and cook for another 10 minutes.
  8. Serve hot and season with additional salt and pepper as needed along with a slice of lime of lemon.