Today I’m working with red lentils and my favorite flavor profile; lemon grass, lime and coconut milk, mixed with the bold flavors and red curry paste. I’m making Thai Red Lentil Soup. And it’s super easy! It might be cold outside but it’s going to be hot in my kitchen. When I first discovered the combined flavorers of lemongrass, lime and coconut milk I was literally mad that I hadn’t known about this combo my whole life.  There is so much you can do with it, add it to a bit of chicken broth and you have the begining of an amazing soup. 

Is anyone else feeling the pull to a more plant-based lifestyle?

I grew up in a meat and potato family. Our meals were pretty predictable, yet always delicious. There was always a starch, always a salad, always a vegetable, some sort of bread and a protein of meat, fish or chicken. I don’t remember as a child ever having a meal that contained no animal protein. Even a dinner of spinach salad had bacon in it. Many cultures use meat to flavor their food instead of as the main source of food itself. 

I’ve always been fascinated with vegetarians and vegans. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to join their team because I love an occasional steak and I’ll never be able to relinquish cheese or eggs. However, I do believe that eating a high percentage of your meals from the garden can provide health benefits in many ways.  Some of you have told me that this isn’t something that’s feasible because the beans that would replace many proteins are two gas inducing. I promise you there are ways around that. Soaking beans before preparing them helps this greatly. 

The soup is incredibly easy to make. It starts with simply sweating the onions until they are tender and sweet. No you’re not taking the onions to the gym. The process of cooking onions on a low flame allowing them to soften is referred to as sweating.

Then the curry paste, lemongrass, lime peel and lentils are added with either water or broth, then cooked until softened for about 20 to 30 minutes. Once soft you simply remove the lemongrass and lime peel blend the soup then add the coconut milk, lime juice and soy sauce, adding additional liquid to find the right consistency.

Let the soup simmer for a few minutes and it’s ready.

Lentils are low in calories, rich in iron and folate and are a great source of protein. If that’s not enough, this creamy, beautifully colored soup pack a flavor punch that will keep you coming back for more. Luckily my gang isn’t very picky, (except my youngest, Mary, you know I’m talking about you!) Even she loves this one, just without the garnish. She’s the one at the restaurant with all the special requests, que eye roll.

This recipe was adapted from “Plenty More” by Yotam Ottolenghi. He is by far my favorite vegetarian author. I’ve simplified this recipe by using a store bought red curry paste and store bought chili oil. I also added extra coconut milk. I find the lentils can become very thick very quickly so you will need to adjust your water or broth level to suit your taste. I also adapted the recipe by using lime peel instead of kefir lime leaves which are much more difficult to find. I’ve had it both ways and I don’t find that there is a huge difference.

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