Red Lentil Soup with Lemon

My friend Naidre gave me this recipe. It was one of the first things I ate as my morning sickness began to fade.  Now it is always in my freezer.  Honestly, I've never put the lemon juice in it, I don't ever have a fresh lemon when I need one.  


I double this recipe and I freeze it in single portion sized containers. With good bread and a green salad, a mildly spicy and cozy dinner is ready in under 5 minutes.  (This is easily made vegan/veggie friendly by substituting the chicken stock with vegetable broth.)

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander or 1 tablespoon whole coriander
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of ground chili powder or cayenne, more to taste or none
1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup red lentils
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro.

In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until hot and
shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4
minutes.

Stir in tomato paste, cumin, coriander, salt, black pepper and chili powder or
cayenne, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.

Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer,
then partially cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until
lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.

Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée
half the soup then add it back to pot. Soup should be somewhat chunky.

Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro.
Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili
powder if desired.