Clean Eating Mag's Lentil Soup

Soup in the middle of August? Well...yeah. If your fridge and pantry are getting low and the temp drops below 80. Why not? This recipe is from the September/October 2010 issue of Clean Eating Magazine, in a feature about what the food editors themselves like to eat.



Hearty Lentil Soup
serves 4

Ingredients:
1 cup dried red lentils (I used French green lentils)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped (I used a sweet one)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup brown rice (I increased this a bit--there's no way 1/4 would've even been visible)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (we added our own at the table)

Directions:
1. Rinse lentils and pick through to discard any debris or small stones; drain well.

2. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and bell pepper and saute for 5 minutes or until brown. Stir in cumin and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add 4 cups water (I increased a little because of the extra rice), lentils, and rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 20 minutes. Add salt, then stir and cook for another 30 minutes.

3. Stir in lemon juice before serving. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for a week.

The H had two servings; I thought it needed more something but couldn't place what. Spice? Salt? I ended up using two wedges of lemon in my bowl and then it was ok.

This was the little guy's portion:



He ate exactly none of it. You win some, you lose some.

Nutrition information per 1-cup serving:
Calories - 290
Fat - 9g
Carbs - 41g
Fiber - 9g
Sugars - 4.5g
Protein - 14g
Sodium - 248mg
Cholesterol - 0mg