Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Lemon Chickpea Lentil Soup



I was especially freezing cold in the office today and all I could think about was making an Indian-spiced soup to bring for lunch tomorrow. When I got home, the first book I pulled off the shelf was Dreena Burton's Eat, Drink, & Be Vegan, immediately hitting the index in search of soups containing red lentils. I landed on the Lemon Chickpea Lentil Soup, which I'd made once before nearly 2 years ago (sometimes it takes a while to repeat a recipe since I'm only cooking for one).

Dreena blogged about this recipe here, but I made some changes based on my tastes and what ingredients I had on hand. I cut the recipe in half because I only had 1/2 cup of red lentils; omitted the oil; used 4 small garlic cloves; substituted about 2 cups of broccoli slaw in place of the onions, celery, and zucchini/tomato; used one can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed); and pureed the entire soup in my high-speed blender rather than using an immersion blender. My soup is thick and smooth and it's perfect! Nicely spiced with a slight tang from the lemon and I know it'll be perfect for another cold day at the office tomorrow.

If you're not already familiar with Dreena's cookbooks, I highly recommend them (she's provided sample recipes here). She uses healthful ingredients that are easy to find and the results are always wonderful.

9 comments:

Lex said...

sounds great! way to be on omitting the oil, why do they put oil in soup in the first place is beyond me!

Ricki said...

Haven't tried a Dreena recipe I didn't like yet! And I'm sure this soup will be no exception (now you've got me wanting to make it). :)

Gena said...

Amazing! I love Dreena, and your twist looks truly awesome. Lentils are a fave of mine.

Bianca said...

Dreena's books are some of the few major vegan volumes that I do not own. I'm not sure why. I should fix that.

I have the same issue with repeating recipes. I just cook for me, and I'm always wanting to try new stuff. So even if I LOVE something, it's usually a year or so before I repeat it...except, of course, for PB and jelly sammiches. Those happen all the time. :-)

trina said...

Wholeheartedly agree on the need for Indian spiced soups this week and the quality of Dreena Burton recipes. See you soon?!

River - The Crafty Kook said...

I love Dreena's recipes! You are right, all the ingredients called for in her recipes are healthful and easy to find. Her enchiladas (can't remember from which cookbook) are probably my favorite savory recipe. And you can't beat her chocolate chip cookies! :)

River - The Crafty Kook said...

I forgot to say, welcome to the Lost in Austen fan club! :D

Jenn Shagrin said...

It's soup week!

Thanks, I'll win big for ya :)

vko said...

hi there! I wholeheartedly agree- every dreena recipe I've made is super delicious & always healthy. just playing some catch up & saw your fab dinner on vday- how fun! hope all is well...