Vegetable and Lentil Soup -- Belly Warming Comfort on a Cold Day!

Farmer's Market Vegetables and Masoor Lentils in a Clear, Rich Broth:
Yum!

Well, I was in the mood for something comforting and simple for dinner, so I decided to put together a vegetable and lentil soup. Unlike most soups that I've made, I actually cooked this one just below a simmer, so the broth wasn't actually bubbling, but it was enough to cook the lentils without over cooking the vegetables. The cooking time was about 10 minutes to saute the onions and garlic thoroughly, and then 1 hour to cook the soup with the broth on low. I was originally planning to add a cup of coconut milk to the broth when it finished cooking, but once I tasted it, I found the extremely rich flavour of the broth to be enchanting the way it was. Plus, it's nice to have a clear broth sometimes, with bits of  herb floating on it ... comforting in the way that chicken soup is comforting for the non-vegetarians among us. We enjoyed it with the toasted remains of some stale bagels, some grape tomatoes, and mucho gusto. ;)

ingredients:

2-4 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 smallish onions, finely chopped

2 medium carrots, diced (approximately 1 cup)

2 medium sweet potatoes (asian if possible) (I chose the mirosaki sweet potatoes from Bob Proracki: 

ontariosweetpotatoes.com)

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp cumin (ground)

plenty of black pepper

1 tbsp marjoram

1-2 tbsp sea salt

2 cups whole masoor lentils (the small red/brown ones)

8 cups filtered water

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

directions:

1. choose a big pot (dutch oven or stock pot -- it should be at least 4 or 5 quarts)

2.  heat the coconut oil in the pot

3. add the minced garlic and finely chopped onion, along with 1 tbsp of sea salt, the cumin, and the turmeric

4. add the diced carrots and sweet potatoes

5. once the garlic and onions are thoroughly cooked, add the lentils and apple cider vinegar, and saute for a minute or two

6. add the water and marjoram, and adjust the amount of salt and pepper, adding up to another tbsp of sea salt if need. Put the lid on the pot.

7. bring the water to the point just below a simmer, as if the water were just 1 degree below boiling point. I found this was on the lowest setting on my stove. This permitted the lentils to absorb water and soften perfectly in 1 hour, without the carrots and sweet potatoes becoming mushy.

8. finally, after 1 hour, I brought the broth to a boil for 2 minutes, and then shut the heat off entirely. 

9. It is now ready to serve. This broth is so savoury-sweet and rich tasting that it is just begging for something to dunk in it, which is why I decided to use up our left over stale bagels.

Unlike the last soup I made, my son actually ate this one. My husband had seconds, and it wasn't even pasta ...

I'd love to hear what you think!