Growing up I was usually the last one to leave the dinner table either because I would talk too much and forget to take a bite out of my food or because I would refuse to eat what my mother had served. The majority of the time it was because I would focus on describing every detail of my day, feelings or thoughts to my family as they would quietly enjoy their food and patiently wait for me to learn the art of eating while having a conversation.
Some things never change so I still can’t do that. It’s either I’m busy talking and my food gets cold or I’m silently devouring my meal while reaching for dessert.
I can’t remember why but one night during the time we lived in Mexico I refused to finish eating what my mother calls lentejitas (a.k.a., lentils. but she finds a way to make everything sound adorable). She would oftentimes make lentil soup and I usually loved it but for some reason on that particular evening I didn’t want lentils. So I stayed at the dinner table, head down, refusing to eat and while my mom cleaned up the table and reminded me “las lentijitas se te van a enfriar” (the little lentils are going to get cold) I counted all of the terracotta floor tiles in our dining room and kept stalling.
Brat. Eventually I finished my cold lentejitas and probably made sure to spend the evening explaining to my parents how that made me feel.
Although I can’t make things sound adorable like my mother does I can tell you that lentils are a mighty impressive member of the legume family and instead of refusing to eat them I now include them in my diet on a regular basis. Lentils are a good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, heart protecting minerals and plant-based protein so they are definitely worth a second look if you don’t normally eat them. This lentil soup includes parsley, carrots, celery and kale so if you need to make up for the times you refused to eat lentils as a child, this soup is a perfect place to start.
VEGAN LENTIL SOUP WITH PARSLEY & KALE
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups of lentils soak overnight
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 4 carrots sliced
- 4 sticks of celery sliced
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 6 cups of filtered water
- 5 cups chopped kale
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil in large saucepan; add diced onion and 4 minced garlic cloves.
- Add lentils, 4 sliced carrots, 4 sliced celery sticks, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons of salt and 6 cups of water.
- Bring to a boil then partially cover pot and simmer for 20-30 min.
- Once the carrot is soft add 5 cups chopped kale and 1/2 chopped parsley to lentil mixture and stir. Turn off heat, kale and parsley will get softer and brighter in about 2-5 minutes.
- (optional) Transfer about half of the soup to high-speed blender and blend. Add blended half of soup to saucepan, stir and serve.
- Notes: If you’re not a “spiced-up” fan, skip the crushed red pepper flakes.
Have you tried lentil soup before? Are you a fan or do you have some making up to do? Let me know if you try this easy parsley, kale and celery lentil soup!
