Nourishing Flavor Punch Lentil Soup

This recipe was designed with 3 goals in mind.

1. Use up the veggies I had on hand.

2. Be easy and come together quickly so I can avoid being in the kitchen all night.

3. Taste a bit more flavorful then typical lentil soup but not taste "hot" so my son will actually eat it.

If you like more kick in your soups like I do you can add 1/8-1/4 tsp of ground cayenne pepper. I love the flavor cayenne adds to soups. There is some heat to it but it adds more than that. I skipped it here because even a hint of heat and my son will not touch it. I hope he grows to like spicy some day but it's a lot to ask a five year old.

There is no fresh garlic in this recipe because I am honestly just tired of mincing up garlic. I need to find a more convenient way to process garlic that doesn't involve tiny chopping or cleaning out an impossible to clean garlic press. If I find an amazing hack, I will of course post it :).

What you need:

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 3 cups vegetable broth (MSG free- be sure to check the label)

• 1 cup water

• Any vegetables you like in soup and have on hand. I used the following...

• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped

• 4 large mushrooms, chopped

• 1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped

• 1 handful of snap peas, strings removed, chopped

• 1 cup of small green lentils (sometimes called french lentils)

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp chili powder

• 1 tsp cumin

• 2 bay leaves

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• black pepper to taste

What to do:

1. Pop all the vegetables into a medium sized pot with the olive oil. Fry on medium head for 5 minutes until the water starts coming out of the vegetables.

2. Add the rest of his ingredients and stir together. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for about 45 minutes. Ensure the lentils are completely cooked and tender before removing from heat.

3. Enjoy your warm, hardy soup :)

#EasyDinner #Vegan #budgetfriendly