This post will be short but sweet, meet my new favorite soup for any time of year! Living by myself I am constantly struggling with cooking for one, the best part about this soup is you can freeze it in portions to eat later. The recipe comes from my favorite vegan cookbook The Oh She Glows Cookbook, if you haven’t already check it out! The author Angela Liddon is super creative and her recipes are soooo healthy! As for this recipe, the only suggestion I have is over season especially the smoked paprika!

Yield: 5.5- 6 cups

Ingredients:

1 tsp coconut oil (or other oil)

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 sweet onion, diced

3 celery stalks, diced

1 bay leaf

1 & 1/4 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4-1/2 tsp smoked sweet paprika, to taste

1/8th tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste

14-oz can diced tomatoes

5-6 cups vegetable broth, more if desired

1 cup red lentils, rinsed and drained

Fine grain sea salt and pepper, to taste

2 handfuls torn kale leaves or spinach

Directions:

1. In a large pot, sauté the onion and garlic in oil for about 5-6 minutes over medium heat. Add in the celery and sauté for a few minutes more.

2. Stir in the bay leaf and the spices (cumin, chili powder, coriander, paprika, cayenne). You can add half the spices and add more later if you prefer.

3. Stir in the can of tomatoes (including juice), broth, and lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and then simmer, uncovered, for about 20-25 minutes, until lentils are tender and fluffy.

4. Stir in kale or spinach and season to taste adding more spices if you wish.

*Photo courtesy of The Oh She Glows Cookbook