Lemony Lentil Soup

Today for lunch I made us a fat-free, reduced sodium soup. It turned out to have a delicate, light, lemony flavour and yet was filling enough to satisfy. Carm liked it enough to give it a 4 star rating. Not bad, but I don't know if he's ever met a soup he didn't like. I liked it too and agreed with his rating. It is now on my favorites list and will be made often. We had it with a salad on the side.

Lemony Lentil Soup ****
Use tiny red lentils as they cook quickly and thicken almost as if they have been pureed.
Yields: 6 cups

Ingredients
1 tablespoon Chicken stock or water to sautee onion
1 Onion chopped
2 cloves Garlic finely chopped
pinch Hot red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon Ground cumin
1 1/2 cups Red lentils rinsed & picked over
3 cups Chicken stock or 1 tin broth + water
3 cups Water
1 lemon - juiced (zest first)
2 tablespoon Fresh cilantro or parsley, finely chopped
zest of 1 lemon
 
Instructions1. Heat chicken stock (was oil) in large saucepan or dutch oven. Add onion, garlic and hot pepper flakes and cook on low heat for 3 to 5 minutes, until fragrant.

2. Add cumin and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in lentils and combine well. Add lemon zest of 1 lemon.

3. Add stock, salt and pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tender and soup is beginning to thicken, about 25 to 30 minutes.

4. Soup can be pureed, partially pureed or left thick but coarse. Add extra stock or water to thin if necessary. Add lemon juice and taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve sprinkled with cilantro and lemon zest.

adapted from More Heartsmart Cooking with Bonnie Stern

I changed the original recipe to be more sodium reduced and fat free. I added lemon zest. Replaced 1/2 the stock with water and used parsley instead of cilantro (its what I had on hand).