Lentil Bean Soup

Ingredients:

2 cups of lentil beans

3 tablespoons of olive or grape seed oil

1/2 medium red pepper chopped

2 medium size carrots (diced)

1 medium size celery stalk (diced)

1 small to medium size yellow onion (diced)

3 large garlic cloves (diced)

1 tbsp Spike or Herbamare seasoning (suite to taste)

1 tbsp Turmeric (suit to taste)

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

4 cups of water

Preparation:

Sort through the lentils. Pour 1 cup dried lentils out on a kitchen towel, plate, cutting board, or other clean surface. Pick through the lentils, sorting out any rocks, bits of soil, or other debris as you run across them. Also discard any lentils that appear to be damaged.

Place oil in pot 

Begin with a low heat

Stir in vegetables one by one (slowly stirring as you add each ingredient)

Add seasonings 

Slowly stir in the beans

Continue to stir for approximately 3 minutes (this method enhances the flavor)

Add water to pot and heat on medium-low simmer

• During a gentle simmer, you should only be able to see minor bubble formation. You may even see a small amount of movement in the lentils, but the movement should not be violent.

• Keep an eye on the lentils as they cook. If necessary, you may add more water during the cooking time, but only add enough to make sure that the lentils are just barely covered.

• Leave the saucepan uncovered. Covering the saucepan traps more heat inside and makes it nearly impossible to drop the water movement down to that of a slow simmer. The end result of a covered pot is mushy lentils.

• Note that older lentils may take longer to cook. These lentils are also more likely to shed their skins while they simmer.

• Note that green, brown, and French lentils work best if you plan to prepare and serve them on their own. Red, orange, and yellow lentils tend to get mushy when cooked, and are better when prepared for sauces, stews, and soups.

• You can cook as few or as many lentils as you would like using this method. No matter how many lentils you plan on cooking, though, make sure that the ratio of lentils to water is 1 portion of lentils per 2 portions of water.