Lemon-Spice Lentil Soup

I love turning ordinary ingredients into a fantastically delicious meal—it’s like kitchen alchemy. This flavorful soup is one of my latest successes. I used whole spices and toasted them to bring out their best flavor, added fresh grated ginger for a pungent kick, and finished the soup off with a drizzle of tangy yogurt and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro. It takes the humble lentil to a new level.

If you don’t have whole spices, used ground spices (in equal measure) and cook them along with the leeks, so they will toast slightly. I used leeks because they were in the CSA box last week; an onion will suffice perfectly if you don’t have leeks on hand. The fresh ginger is a must, however, and since it keeps for weeks in the refrigerator, it’s a worthy staple for your pantry. This soup freezes well too. Just make sure when you reheat it that you don’t forget to garnish the soup with the yogurt and cilantro.

Lemon-Spice Lentil Soup

Makes 6 servings

2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds

2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds

1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 leeks, white part only, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium stalk celery, chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

3 cups water

1 1/2 cups brown lentils

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes

Grated zest of 1 large lemon

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt, thinned to drizzling consistency with 1-2 tablespoons milk

Chopped fresh cilantro

Place the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns in small dry skillet and set over medium heat. Toast, shaking the pan often, until the spices are fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool. Crush the spices in a mortar and pestle or place in a small zip lock bag and crush with a meat mallet. Set aside.

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and tilt the pan to coat the bottom. Add the leeks and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly for about 1 minute. Add the broth, water, lentils, the spice mixture, ginger, salt, cayenne, and cinnamon.

Place the tomatoes in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped; add to the saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and cook until the lentils are tender, 30 to 35 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest and juice. Ladle the soup into 6 bowls; drizzle with the yogurt mixture and sprinkle with cilantro.

Each serving: 41 g carbohydrate, 252 calories, 4 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 3 mg cholesterol, 13 g fiber, 17 g protein, 386 mg sodium

Carb Choices: 3; Exchanges: 2 1/2 starch, 1 veg, 1 plant-based protein, 1/2 fat

Summer Lentil Salad

My CSA started up last week and the local Jackson Heights Greenmarket is in full swing. It’s the time of year when there is way more produce in my refrigerator than I will ever find the stomach space to use. Neighbors don’t think you’re too weird if you show up at their door with the gift of a head of Bibb lettuce. They get used to it as the season progresses.

One of the ways I like to use fresh produce is to cook some lentils or dried beans and use those to make a salad with all the produce I have. The lentils or beans are a good source of protein and an excellent source of fiber—and they’re delicious with almost any vegetable you add to them.

The salad I made today uses what I had on hand. This recipe is just a blueprint really, to use whatever is fresh and fabulous at your farmers’ market this time of year. You can add almost anything: diced carrots, radishes, turnips, bell peppers, jicama, kohlrabi, cucumbers, green onions, halved cherry tomatoes, and any herb that you have on hand.

One rule of thumb I will mention is that when you’re making salads with high carb ingredients like these lentils, dried beans, whole grains (like wheat berries or barley), or whole wheat pasta use the same amount of fresh vegetables in the salad as you do of the lentils, beans, grains or pasta. In this recipe, 1 cup of dry lentils will make about 2 cups of cooked lentils, so make sure you add about 2 cups of vegetables to the mix. This not only prevents carb overload, but it insures that you have a flavorful, colorful, and crunchy salad. And if, like me, you are up to your eyeballs in lettuce, serve the lentil salad on top of fresh greens. Ah, the joys of summer!

I will point out my flavor-infusing cooking method for lentils in this recipe. They cook so quickly (in about 15 or 20 minutes) that they need to go into an already flavorful cooking liquid so they can absorb as much flavor as possible. I simply simmer a small halved onion, a stalk of celery, a crushed garlic clove, and a bay leaf in salted water for about 15 minutes before I add the lentils. That way, the lentils are cooking in a vegetable broth that’s really going to give them an additional layer of flavor. Another trick: once they are just done, tender, yet firm to the bite, and still holding their shape, I pour the lentils, liquid, and the onion/garlic/bay leaf mixture into a 13 x 9 baking dish and let the lentils cool in the cooking liquid to absorb even more flavor. Set the dish in front of a fan to cool if you’re in a hurry.

Lentil and Vegetable Salad with Goat Cheese

Makes 6 servings

To cook the lentils

3 cups water

1 small onion, cut in half

1 stalk celery, cut in 3-inch pieces

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 cup French green lentils, picked over and rinsed

To make the salad

3 tablespoons sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil (or, if you have it, walnut oil is lovely)

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt (you don’t need much, since the lentils were cooked in salted water)

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 small turnip, peeled and diced

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 cucumber, peeled and diced

1 green onion, minced

3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

3 ounces crumbled goat cheese (crumble it while it’s cold, so a little bit can go a long way)  

To cook the lentils, combine the water, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, about 15 minutes. Add the lentils, return to a simmer, and cook just until the lentils are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Pour the lentil mixture into a large shallow dish and let cool to room temperature. Drain the lentil mixture and discard the onion, celery, garlic, and bay leaf.

To make the salad, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add the lentils, turnip, carrot, cucumber, green onion, and dill and stir to combine. Serve the salad at once, or store refrigerated for up to 3 days. The salad tastes better at room temperature, so if you do make it ahead, let it sit out of the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before serving. Taste the salad before serving; it may need another splash of vinegar to brighten the flavor. Sprinkle the salad with the goat cheese just before you serve it.

Each serving: 21 g carbohydrate, 177 calories, 7 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 11 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 10 g protein, 255 mg sodium

Carb Choices: 1 1/2; Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 veg, 1plant-based protein, 1/2 fat

Winter Into Spring Soup

The calendar says spring, but the weather here in NYC is still tottering on the borderline and leaning more toward chilly evenings and ear muffs than warm nights and sleeveless dresses.

My friend and cat sitter Madalyn Benoit shared with me the perfect recipe for this time of year. It’s a soup that pairs two ingredients that I’d never put together before: sweet potatoes and red lentils. What makes it perfect for this in-between weather is that it’s warm and soothing and uses the sweet potatoes that I still have left from my last winter CSA share, but it’s drizzled with cool and creamy yogurt and topped with sprinkle of springtime mint.

Madalyn got the recipe from Sophie Grigson at TheWednesdayChef.com and I’ve made a few slight changes, using less oil and adding a bit more of the high-fiber lentils and a dash of cayenne pepper. The soup freezes well and Madalyn says it’s just as good if you make it with winter squash instead of the sweet potato. It’s just the thing to help us make it through a few more weeks until the real spring arrives.

Sweet Potato and Red Lentil Soup with Yogurt and Mint

Makes 8 servings

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger

5 1/2 cups water or reduced sodium vegetable or chicken broth (if you use water, add a little more salt)

3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped (1 1/4 pounds)

1 cup dried red lentils, picked over and rinsed

1 whole star anise

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Plain low-fat yogurt, thinned with a little low-fat milk

Minced fresh mint

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil and tilt the pan to coat the bottom. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened, 5 minutes.

Add the water, sweet potatoes, lentils, star anise, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the potatoes are very tender, about 30 minutes. Remove and discard the star anise.

Puree the soup in a food processor or blender in batchers until smooth. Stir in the lime juice. Spoon the soup into bowls and drizzle each serving with a tablespoon of the yogurt mixture. Sprinkle with the mint and serve at once.

Each serving: 28 g carbohydrate, 158 calories, 2 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 1 mg cholesterol, 5 g fiber, 8 g protein, 118 mg sodium

Carb Choices: 2; Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 plant-based protein