YOUR NEW LUNCH STAPLE: THE SPICED VEGAN LENTIL SOUP

If you’re looking for a quick and dirty, healthy solution to impulsive and unhealthy meal decisions throughout your week, consider this Vegan Spiced Lentil Soup recipe your new go-to.

Don’t let a busy lifestyle affect a healthy diet.

Can anyone else relate to having their health routine thrown off the rails when things get busy? When I’ve got a million things on my list and don’t have time to prepare my own lunches, or don’t have healthy leftovers ready to go for dinner, I will too often resort to a quick fix–lunch out, and something that I can microwave or boil for dinner. Too often, these hasty meals end up being expensive or unhealthy, while both of these things could have been avoided had I just had something easy to whip up in the fridge.

Reduce expensive and unhealthy meal choices by staying prepped.

I find soup to be an incredibly useful tool when I’m trying to get back into a healthy routine. Most soups are relatively easy to make, nutritious, and are a thrifty option for creating delicious meals out of simple ingredients. Keeping a batch of soup in the fridge or freezer as a quick lunch or dinner when you don’t the time or energy to put something together will largely reduce the number of times you find yourself at the drive-thru, or having toast for dinner again.

Wondering what to pack? Soup to the rescue.

The Spiced Vegan Lentil Soup can be thrown together in under 20 minutes, and takes only 30 minutes to simmer on the stove until it’s cooked. In fact, most of the ingredients on the list are probably lurking in your pantry as you read this. It blends the magic of garlic and onions (this couple never gets old), spices, vegetables, broth, lentils, and the secret ingredient that elevates all of these flavours, lemon. An incredibly nourishing, well-balanced, and delicious meal that’ll keep you armed with nutritious meals for a good part of the week.

So stop with the greasy piece of pizza for lunch, or the hasty microwave dinners. We’ve all been there, but being busy doesn’t have to affect your ability to keep up with a healthy diet. Try out this recipe–and if you find that soups are just the thing to keep you on track, check out these other soup recipes we recommend to help you out with a health reset. Happy souping!

SPICED VEGAN LENTIL SOUP

INGREDIENTS:

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 cup brown or green lentils, picked over and rinsed
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup chopped fresh collard greens or kale, tough ribs removed
• Juice of ½ to 1 medium lemon, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. When oil becomes hot, add the chopped onions and carrots, stirring often until onions become translucent (about 5 minutes). Add garlic, cumin, curry powder, and thyme, continuing to stir often for about 30 seconds. Add drained diced tomatoes, and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes.
2. Add lentils, broth, and water to the pot. Add 1 teaspoon of salt, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and a generous seasoning of black pepper. Turn heat up to high to bring soup to a boil, then partially cover the pot and reduce heat to simmer. Cover for 30 minutes, or until lentils have become tender.
3. Transfer two cups of the soup to a blender, but be careful not to burn yourself. Use a tea towel to protect your hands and puree the soup until smooth. Pour the pureed soup back into the stock pot, and stir. Then add chopped greens, and cook for 5 more minutes.
4. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Season with more lemon, salt, and pepper until flavour is to your liking. Serve immediately, or save for up to 4 days in the fridge, or several months in the freezer.