Cook This: Spiced lentil soup with coconut milk

Even though its technically summer here in Wellington, the weather has not been quite up to my Los Angeles standards of high temps, sunny skies, and warm beaches.  Good news, this delicious healthy soup has been great all year long.  Its my go-to, feel good meal that makes it into the rotation at least once every two weeks. Also, by pre-measuring ingredients and spices, I've been able to include this recipe on my list of easy to cook camping meals. 

This recipe comes from my favorite food blog and cook book Sprouted Kitchen. Its full of warming spices, veggies, and a touch (generous touch) of coconut milk for a silky creamy finish.  Since I like my soups hearty, I often toss in carrot, butternut squash, or sweet potato.  As with most of my meals, or any meal I can, I garnish with cilantro, avocado, and sour cream. 

Don't be deterred by the long ingredient list, this is a very easy to cook recipe, the flavors balance perfectly, and once you get all the spices, they'll last a long time. 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup lentils, rinsed (I used a mixture of green and red)
• 4 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 1/2 tsp. turmeric OR curry powder (sometimes I toss 1 tsp of both in!)
• 2 tsp. dried thyme or 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil (olive oil is ok too)
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 stalks lemongrass (dried is ok too but you'll end up with dry grass in some bites)
• 1 tsp. sea salt or to taste
• 1/2 tsp. cardamom
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• pinch of red pepper flakes to taste
• pinch of fresh grated nutmeg
• 1 1/4 cup coconut milk (don't mess around - use full fat)
• 3 Tbsp. lemon, lime or orange juice
• a few handfuls of swiss chard, spinach or kale
• 8-10oz of cut up butternut squash, sweet potato, or carrot (optional - makes it a little more hearty)
• avocado for garnish (optional)
• chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)

Directions

• Add the rinsed lentils, butternut squash, broth, thyme and turmeric or curry powder to a large pot. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.
• While the lentils cook, heat the coconut oil in a pan. Add the onion and saute until just browned. Add the lemongrass, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, pinch of red pepper flakes and some fresh ground nutmeg and saute another minute. Add the onion mixture to the lentils and stir, keeping the heat on a low simmer.
• Add the coconut milk and greens and simmer another five minutes, stirring occasionally until the greens have just wilted. Taste for salt and spice and add as you prefer. Finish with the lemon juice and serve avocado, sour creams, and cilantro on top