French Lentil Soup

       Yikes, I haven’t been around in ages! I’m hoping to get back to posting twice a week and then I’ll be participating in Vegan mofo everyday of September so please check back soon!! :D

This is one of our family’s favorite soups which says a lot since the girls and I can eat soup on a daily basis, often times even for breakfast. This one is Vivian’s favorite, which is something she often says about soups but this one she asks for the most aside from noodle and tomato. Even our picky eater says it’s quite good for a soup, which is high praise since I’m fairly sure he would never eat soup again if it wasn’t for the fact I’m the cook in the family.

      You can use brown lentils if you must but the French are best for both flavor and texture. You can omit the miso paste but you’d need more base or to use vegetable broth in place of the water, I really HIGHLY recommend you get your hands on miso paste it’s really worth it for the flavor it adds and it will keep in the fridge for ages so you don’t need to worry about using it up before it spoils.

       Last thing before I get to the recipe; please check the lentils for stones/debris. I found two while making this and I couldn’t tell you the last time I found any; you never know if there will be one!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 c. sorted French Lentils- you can reduce to one cup for a thinner soup, we do this often, as we sever ours over rice.
• 2c. diagonally cut carrots
• 1- 14.5oz. canned diced tomatoes(no salt added)
• 2c. diced  yellow onion
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 7c. Water

• 1 Tbsp.  tarragon
• 1.5 tsp.  thyme
• 2Tbsp. Paprika
• 2 bay leaves
• tsp.1/2  black pepper
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 2 Tbsp. miso paste
• 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. Better Than Bouillion; Vegetable Base
• Salt to taste
• Cooked brown rice(we prefer short grain) and/or a loaf of crusty bread for serving

Method:

    Peel and dice the onions wash and slice carrots, feel free to peel if you prefer. Peel and mince garlic. In a large pot on medium/high heat and add onion and carrot. Add some of the water for the soup in small amounts if the onions and carrot start to stick, you’ll want to sauté stirring often until the onions and carrots start to brown. You can also use oil or a vegetable broth if you don’t like to use a dry or water sauté method. Add garlic, tarragon, oregano, thyme, black pepper and, paprika. Stir and cook a 2-3 min. Add 2/3 of the water, Worcestershire sauce,bay leaves, lentils, and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. To the remaining water add miso and vegetable base and blend smooth, add to pot. 

      Once soup is boiling, reduce heat to a simmer, cook covered 40minues to an hour. Lentil should be tender but not mush. Taste and add salt as needed.(We use around a tsp.) Remove bay leaves!!
                                                  Ladle over brown rice and enjoy!