Lentil Soup.

Peter informed me that he wanted to eat less meat in the New Year - so instead of mourning meat, I went to the store and bought some lentils.


If I can make a confession - I am NOT a huge meat lover.  I love a good steak and a fatty burger and I am a huge taco fan, but I am not a huge fan of frozen chicken or chicken that's reheated in the microwave.  Nasty!  But I will eat it.  


Anyhow, I was more than happy to accommodate his new diet request and the meat mourning process was EXTREMELY short-lived.  I began to brainstorm meals, and perused some recipes, and went to the store and bought lentils.  And I was determined to make vegetable soup with lentils.


And I did.  And I even served it to others for dinner!  Slightly risky, but I was willing to take the chance.  They seemed to like it or else they are just good liars!  I would like to think it was the former.


I found my Lentil Soup Recipe on allrecipes.com, and improvised it a little.

The Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups dry lentils
• 8 cups water
• 1/2 cup spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery; cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and basil; cook for 2 minutes.
2. Stir in lentils, and add water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve stir in spinach, and cook until it wilts. Stir in vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper, and more vinegar if desired.