Even If You Don't Like Lentils Easy Lentil Soup

So you don't like lentils.

I didn't think I did, either.

For one thing, I was buying those sludgy olive gray ones. Ew. Plus, I have tasted a few misguided attempts at lentils-as-meat-replacement. There are many reasons to think you hate lentils.

May I encourage you to try them again? Just one more time. If you still hate them, you may officially say you hate them.

First, skip the sludgy gray green ones. Buy some "red" lentils. I find them in the international section at Meijer. They're a light reddish-orange color.

Second, don't try to make a lentil loaf. And if you don't like international food, don't go overboard on the international flavors. Our friends from Sri Lanka made us some excellent spicy dahl (which happens to mean "lentil" I believe) and I've even made some myself, but it's okay to tone it down. The Grand Lunar isn't fond of middle eastern and Indian flavors, but even he liked this soup.

Ready? Don't be scared. It's easy and good, and not too strong on the eastern flavors.

Even If You Don't Like Lentils Easy Lentil Soup

1 cup red lentils, rinsed
1 cup rice ~ you can use white rice or brown rice
6 cups water
2-4 cloves garlic, or garlic powder to taste
~1/2 cup chopped onions. I've used both sliced green onions and dried onion flakes with success
1/2 tsp. cumin - this is a very tiny amount
1/4 tsp. turmeric - this is even smaller, but makes it such a pretty yellow
1/4 tsp. paprika - again, very little
2 T. chicken bullion (equivalent to making 6 cups of stock)

that's it. bring to a boil and simmer ~20 minutes OR let it sit in the crockpot for 2-3 hours on high or 6 hours on low. It seems to be pretty flexible. If you do it on the stove, you may need to add a little more water as it cooks.

The lentils don't hold together in their lentil shape, they sort of become one with the soup, making it thick. The taste is like a very mild curry, but it's so mild you should try it even if you don't like curry. Seriously. And if you DO like curry, go ahead and add a lot more of the spices, to taste. Add some hot pepper flakes if you like it hot. But you don't have to, it's simple and good just the way it's written.

Oh, and in other news, here's how far I am in the first sock.

You can see I completed the heel flap, the heel gusset decreases, and am working on the "foot" part heading towards the toe. I only hope it fits me, and not someone else, when I'm done. But that sounds kind of selfish.