Curried Red Lentil Soup

This is a really simple and cheap soup to make. It's based on a McDougall recipe which I have modified slightly.

2 cups chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
7 1/2 cups water
1 tsp turmeric
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 1/2 cups red lentils
2 medium potatoes, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

Saute the onion and garlic in 1/2 cup of the water in a large pot until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the seasonings and cook for 1 minute. Add the lentils, potatoes and carrots and the remaining water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for an hour. Stir in the vinegar and garnish with parsley or cilantro before serving.

Cauliflower Dal

This recipe is from the January 2008 McDougall Newsletter.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4-6

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 cup dried red lentils
15 oz can chopped tomatoes
2 cups cauliflower florets
1 large russet potato, peeled and coarsely chopped

Place the onion, garlic and jalapeno in a large pot with 1-2 tablespoons of the vegetable broth. Cook, stirring frequently for about 3 minutes until onion softens slightly. Stir in the cumin, coriander, turmeric and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir for about 1 minute. Add the remaining broth and the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve in a bowl with some pita bread on the side or over brown rice.

Note: Sometimes I use canned diced tomatoes and sometimes crushed tomatoes. Instead of a jalapeno pepper, I used two rings of the pickled jalapeno peppers that you can buy in a jar.

I add salt to taste once the food is on my plate.

I've only recently discovered this wonderful dish. It's tasty and cheap to make. What more could you want?