Nourish your body and spirit with a bowl of "Recovery Soup"

By Jane Gibb

Every so often, life really takes it out of you. There’s nothing that restores my spirits and my body as quickly as a bowl of soup.

This easy and aromatic lentil soup will warm and calm you, while giving you a shot of restoring protein and energy.

The secret to getting the most from this soup lies in how you make it.

Begin with a journey into the garden or your local organic vegie shop. Breathe the fresh air, touch the plants, and take in the aromas.

Pick a handful of herbs (I use Italian parsley and dill), harvest two green chilies, pull two carrots and cut three stalks of celery with leaves, then take a leisurely route back to your kitchen.

Ingredients

2 handfuls of Italian parsley and dill

2 tablespoon cumin seeds

4 tablespoons organic olive oil

3 stalks of celery (with leaves) chopped

3 organic brown onions chopped

1 handful of organic herbs chopped

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

2 green chilies chopped

2 teaspoons sea salt

2 organic carrots sliced

1 cup of homemade tomato puree

8 cups of water (I use fresh tank water)

2 cups of organics brown lentils or Persian whole red lentils

Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based saucepan, add the cumin seeds and fry for a few minutes.

Add the chopped herbs (save some of the dill for garnish), onion, celery, chilies, turmeric and sea salt and allow to sweat, stirring occasionally, until the onion becomes translucent.

Add the lentils and stir until they are coated with herb mix.

Add remaining ingredients and cook on a low heat for about 50 minutes or until al dente. (Lentils should be firm, not mushy.)

Season to taste.

Garnish with the remaining dill and serve with wedges of lemon.

Tip: Too much stirring or cooking will turn the lentils to mush – it still tastes delicious, but the texture is better if the lentils are firm.

Variation: Replace the dill with fresh coriander.

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