Spiced Carrot + Red Lentil Soup

It's the last month of winter, which means soup season will be coming to an end. Make sure you add this one to your table because it does not disappoint. I've been making it on repeat and love it every time. I'm just going to go ahead and assume that my family members feel exactly the same way. I tend to get a bit obsessive when I find a dish that I love.

Red lentils are one of those power foods that are easy to prepare and loaded with the good stuff. Unlike other legumes, red lentils don't need to be soaked overnight and only take 30 minutes to prepare. They are so delicious and nourishing in this carrot soup, wrapped up in warm Indian spices.

Ingredients:
1 tbs. coconut oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
5 medium carrots, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 inch chunk of ginger, minced
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1 cup red lentils, rinsed
4-5 cups vegetable stock
1 can of full fat coconut milk

Method:
1. Heat the coconut oil in a large pot, add the onion and carrots. Cook until the onion softens a bit, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ginger, garlic, coriander, cinnamon and cumin. Stir until all the vegetables are coated nicely with the spices.

2. Add the red lentils and the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Stir in the coconut milk and simmer for a few more minutes to let all the flavours combine.

3. Using a stick blender, carefully puree the soup. You can make is chunky or completely smooth, whatever it is that you like your soup to be. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Divide soup into bowls and serve. One of my favourite things to add to a vegetarian soup like this are pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds, add about one tablespoon per bowl. They add a nice bit of flavour and a bit of an unexpected crunch.

Enjoy