Recipe : Sweet Potato, Carrot & Red Lentil Soup

Well, hello there! I believe it has been more than 4 months since my last post and I will not go into much detail on why I haven't been active on here, let's just say that school has been a lot more demanding than I'd expected this year. In between juggling assignments and trying to stay active while also spending some time with friends and family, I'm afraid this blog has come a bit short.

I am not going to make promises I probably won't keep, however I will definitely try to post more regularly on here in the future.

This soup is everything I crave after a cold, busy winter day. It is warm, flavorful, nourishing and incredibly simple to whip up! Red Lentils and Sweet Potatoes are one of my favourite food combinations during the colder months, they are filling and have oh so many nutritional benefits! As a vegetarian, legumes are one of my favourite sources of protein and red lentils are much easier to digest and cook more quickly than their green and black counterparts. 

Whenever I am feeling tired and burned out after a long day of school, the warming combination of these two wonderful orange plants is sure to make me feel cozy and nourished. I whipped up this particular dish on a whim one night last week and was surprised at how wonderful it turned out to be. This is definitely a very hearty kind of soup, so if you want a lighter meal you might want to leave out the chickpeas.

The lighting was extremely bad in these photos and doesn't make the vibrant colour of the soup justice at all. However, I hope you still try out this soup as it really is comfort in a bowl!

Sweet Potato, Carrot & Red Lentil Soup (Vegan)

(serves 2-4 as a main)

Ingredients:

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, pressed

small piece of ginger, diced

1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil or ghee

2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into ~ 2 cm cubes

2 carrots, sliced

1/2 cup of dried red lentils

4-6 cups of vegetable broth

1/2 cup of coconut milk

cumin

turmeric

salt & pepper

Optional:

1 can of chickpeas, rinsed

For garnishing:

sliced green onion

pumpkin seeds

spinach

Instructions:

Heat the coconut oil in a large pot. Add the onion, garlic and ginger and sauté for 5 minutes.

Add cumin and turmeric (as much as you like) and continue to cook for about a minute.

Then add the sweet potatoes, carrots, lentils and vegetable broth and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Blend the soup using an immersion or regular blender, then add it back to the pot.

 Stir in the coconut milk and can of chickpea if using, add more water if it is too thick for your taste.

Cook until it has the desired temperature, then add to your bowl, garnish with green onions, pumpkin seeds and spinach and devour!