Lentil Rice Soup

 

The first time we see lentils mentioned in the Bible is in Genesis as Jacob traded to Essau for his birthright.

Jacob/Yaʽaqoḇ then gave Essau/Ěsaw bread and stew of lentils. 

And he ate and drank, and rose up and left; thus Esau despised his birthright.  

Genesis/Berisheet 25:34

Lentils have obviously been part of people's food choices for many years as we have noted above. It has long been a staple at our house also especially during the cold months of the year. During these months one of our basic staple recipes always consists lentil soup.  If you like lentils and rice, here is an easy and delicious recipe combining both along with other vegetables making this a nutritious soup.

 A Few Lentil Facts

Lens ensculenta laten, latin for lentils, are part of the legume family and although small in size they are loaded with high nutrition value.   They are believed to have originated in Asia and to be one of the first foods to have been cultiviated.  Lentils are seeds of a plant which grow in pods that may contain up to two lentil seeds. There are a variety of lentils which include black, brown and red, french green, yellow, and white lentils.

Lentils are low in fat and have a very high fiber content, (molybdenum and folate), which is known to help lower cholesterol.  It also has special benefits in managing blood-sugar disorders since their high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal.  For more information on health, storing or preparing lentils please visit WHFoods.

Ingredients
1 onion chopped
3-4 or more garlic cloves chopped
a bit of oil (we use coconut oil)
8 cups chicken stock or vegetable broth
4-6 celery stalks sliced
4-6 carrots chopped
1 pint to 1 quart of tomatoes
1 cup of lentils
1 cup of rice
salt, pepper and desired spices for added flavor
 
Directions

• Heat the oil on medium heat in a big soup pot and add chopped onion. Once the onion has become soft, add garlic and sautée for a few more minutes.
• Add chopped celery, carrots tomatoes, stock to the pot. Bring heat to higher temperature.
• Once the stock has become hotter, add rice and lentils. Continue to bring to boil. Reduce partially and let cook for about one hour on simmer.
• Once rice and lentils are cooked, add desired spices. We love to add cayenne as well as some Braggs Liquid Amino. 

Note:  If you soak your lentils ahead of time, cooking time will be less.  If you choose to make this soup using a pressure cooker, cooking time will be cut in half.

If you are looking for a nutritious meal on its own, you may want to try this wonderful Lentil Rice Soup.

There are many Lentil soup variations, do you have a recipe you'd like to share?  If so, simply place your link in the comment section below.  We'd be blessed if you would.


Blessings ~ Carmen

This post has been shared with:
A Moderate Life's Health & Soul 
Simply Sugar & Gluten Free's Slightly Indulgent Tuesday

Creamy Tomato Soup ~ Dairy Free

Do you or your family have a favorite vegetable that you never tire of eating? We do: tomatoes.  We love eating tomatoes and include them in some form almost all year round. Does it have anything to do with my husband being Italian?  Maybe.  During the summer months a simple cucumber and tomato salad with garlic vinaigrette can be found on our family table. And when the cold season settles in, we add tomatoes to many of our soups. What a blessing for families to be able to can fresh tomatoes from their garden, or from their purchases of a local farmer, for use during the winter months. I so enjoyed being able to preserve home grown vegetables in years past and look forward to it again.

Tomato Facts

 Tomatoes are loaded with vitamins and minerals. If you want another way to ensure you are getting vitamin C, eat some fresh tomatoes. There are many health antioxidant benefits from lycopene found in tomatoes. Studies show it protects against many cancers. WHFoods states that lycopene is extremely beneficial especially when consumed with fat-rich foods such as avocado, olive oil or nuts. This is because carotenoids are fat-soluble. This means they are absorbed into the body along with fats. If you are looking for the most phytonutrient benefits, it is wise to stick to whole, natural foods. Tomatoes can be eaten in many forms, by making your own fermented ketchup, tomato paste, including them in salads, entrées or just eating them whole, just like eating an apple. We enjoy eating them that way.

This recipe that I’m sharing is quite easy to prepare and can be done in such little time. and doesn't require any milk, which I really appreciate.  It only takes minutes to chop the vegetables.  (Make sure you have a sharp knife, it really does help when cutting carrots) .  The original recipe did not ask for celery, but I thought it would be a good way to include sodium without adding it later.  Maybe I will add in leeks next time next time too.  In the past, when I've made this soup I've added some cooked rice at the end, a few minutes before serving.  We prepared a simple meal for last week's Shabbat evening which included this Creamy Tomato Soup, a green salad along with homemade pizza.  We had enough soup left for Shabbat lunch the following day.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 large red onion, diced

4-6 carrots, chopped

2-3 celery stocks, chopped

4 lbs tomatoes (5 14oz cans of diced tomatoes)

4 cups vegetable broth

1 tbsp fresh parsley, basil and other herbs

Directions

• Melt the coconut oil. Add diced onion and cook for about three to five minutes until softened.
• Add chopped carrots, celery and tomatoes along with the vegetable broth (chicken stock can also be used) and herbs and stir ingredients well.
• Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes by first bringing to boil and reducing heat to a gentle simmer. When vegetables are tender remove from heat.
• You have a choice to either purée the soup using a vegetable mill or use a blender. I chose to blend the soup in our Vitamix . Once the soup has been puréed or blended, return to the pot and gently reheat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

For more information on the benefits of the tomato, please visit WHFoods .
The recipe was adapted from The Complete Guide of 400 Soups.


This recipe was shared at:
Tuesday Twister at GNOWFGLINS
Slightly Indulgent at Simply Sugar Free and Gluten Free 
Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet

Stay Warm
Blessings ~ Carmen

Carrot Soup with Ginger-Dairy Free

Adding ginger to this carrot soup gives a zing of fresh ginger and complements the sweetness of cooked carrots in this refreshing soup. We are big fans of soups in the winter and continue to follow my family’s winter tradition of soup eating during the cold winter months. Yes even here in the Dallas area. Eating a large salad with an entrée of soup and a slice of homemade bread, or just eating many bowls of nourishing soup for dinner is not uncommon in our house. I had two Ginger Soup recipes with slight variations, one of them on a recipe card and the other recipe comes from a wonderful book called The Complete Guide of 400 Soups*. I came up with my own version of Carrot Soup with Ginger. Adding potatoes to puréed soups is a great way to thicken soups. Even if you are not a fan of ginger but love carrots this is a wonderful variation.

Ingredients

4 TBSP butter or coconut oil

1 onion chopped

1 3 inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and coarsely chopped (about ¼ cup)

5-6 cups sliced carrots or more if you desire

2-3 small to medium potatoes, diced

10 cups of vegetable or chicken stock or broth

2 oranges, peeled and in pieces

Pinch of nutmeg

Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper

Crème fraiche for garnish, optional

• Melt the butter and add chopped onion and let cook on medium heats for five minutes and stir occasionally until the onion is soft.
• Stir in the cut up potatoes, carrots, ginger, orange pieces and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil. Then reduce the low heat and let simmer with cover on. This may take about 20-25 minutes.
• Pour the soup into the food processor or Vita-Mix blender and process until smooth. You may want to let the soup cool before blending or processing. I had to blend in 3 batches. You may also prefer to use a vegetable mill to purée the soup.
• Once everything is blended or processed, return everything into the stock pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Reheat gently to serve. This soup can also be served cold. Just chill soup in the refrigerator until cold, at least 6 hours (up to five days) and then serve.
• If you wish to garnish with a spoonful of crème fraiche, simply drizzle the crème on top of the soup and then create a swirl pattern by dragging the tip of a knife or fork through the crème fraiche.
• Options: celery can be added, leeks can be added instead of onion, 1 cup fresh orange juice instead of oranges. To make vegetable stock if I don’t have any on hand, I add my Frontier Coop Organic vegetable broth powder to my water.  For gluten free, simply avoid the crème fraiche.

Makes 8 servings or 2 meals for 4 people.

* Although there are some recipes using unclean foods in this cookbook, I have been blessed with making many nourishing soups.

This Recipe was shared with
Tuesday Twister at GNOWFLINS
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar and Gluten Free
Hearth and Soul at A Moderate Life 
Penny Wise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet

Are you a soup lover also?  Have you made a carrot ginger soup with other variations?
 

Roasted Beet Soup

A while ago when I posted the Cold Beet Salad, someone left me a comment on how she preapred her cold beet soup. I was eager to try making a beet soup recipe since I have never made or eaten soup made with beets. Many of these are made with cream. I was able to find one with required no diary. After altering this new found recipe, I came up with one that my entire family enjoyed.  Please scroll down below Beet Facts for recipe.

Beet Facts

Beets come from the plant family Amaranthaceae-Chenopodiaceae, the same family as the swiss chard. Beets are known for its pigments that give them their bright rich color called betalains. There are two basic types of betalains: betacyanins and betaxanthins. Betacyanins are pigments of red-violet in color. Betanin is the best studied of the betacyanins. Betaxanthins are yellowish in color. Other vegetables which include betalains include rhubarb chard, amaranth, prickly peaer cactus and nopal cactus.The better known antioxidant in beets is not beta-carotene, but two other antioxidant carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin. Antioxidants such as vitamin C and manganese are found in beets. The phytonutrients found in beets have shown to function as an anti-inflammatory in our body.

We also eat the beet greens and prepare them similar to eating swiss chard greens or spinach. They have many nutrients in vitamins and minerals as well as carotenoids such as beta-carotene and lutein/zeazanthin. We steam them for about 3-5 minutes, sauté some garlic and mix in with a little oil and some salt.

Ingredients

3 medium to large size beets

1 large leek, including green and white parts, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

2 bulbs of garlic

8 cups of water

some oil for sautéing

1/2 tsp fresh ground ginger

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 350 F.

• You will want to individually wrap the beets and garlic in foil and roast for about an hour, They should be tender enough that a fork can pierce through easily. Once baked, place the beets and garlic to another glass container to cool. If you choose to not roast garlic, then sauté them along with the leeks and celery as directed below.

• Once the beets are cooled, peel the beets and cut into small cubes.

• In a large pot, melt the oil and sauté the leeks and celery until they begin to brown. Add ground ginger, pepper and other herbs of your choice if preferred. Remove roasted garlic cloves from skins, I find it easier to just slide the garlic out of the individual skins as it is soft and comes out easily. If you’ve chosen to sauté the garlic cloves, add it to the celery and leeks now along with the beet cubes.

• Add 8 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for half an hour.

• Working in batches, puree soup in a blender. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

• Finely chop a hand full of fresh cilantro leaves for garnish.

This soup may be eaten cool if desired, we ate this soup hot and added Braggs Amino Acids for more taste.

This recipe was shared with:
Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist
Tuesday Twister at GNOWFLINS
Hearth 'n Soul at A Moderate Life
Real Food Wednesday at Kelly the Kitchen Kop 
Fight Back Friday with Food Renegade

I would like to try not peeling the beets next time.  I've read there is a lot of nutrients in the skin as well.  Who has eaten the skin of the beets.  I'm sure it would be fine in this soup since it passes through the blender.

Blessings ~ Carmen