Ready in 15 minutes, this is fast food the natural way!  Lentils are eaten around the world, at least twice a day in “any self-respecting Indian household,” says Kavita Mehta, founder of Web-based Indian Foods Co.  Eaten everyday in Morocco, too, but especially during Ramadan, they not only taste great, but give us protein, cholesterol-lowering fiber and more nutrition for their size than almost any other food.  Do they contain iron and B vitamins?  Yes!  These cute little pulses come in all colors and are easy on the pocketbook too.  A handful feeds many.  This soup helps whittle down your waist too.

Makes enough to feed 6

In a soup kettle or pot, gently warm olive oil.  Add onion and stir to coat.  Add spices and garlic and stir for a couple of minutes.  Add strained tomatoes and water or vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil.  Rinse lentils in a colander in cold water and add to soup pot.  Stir and turn heat to low, cover pot, and allow soup to simmer while you prepare vegetables (five minutes, if that).

Add cut vegetables to soup and cover pot again.  Simmer 10 minutes.  Stir in salt, cilantro leaves, lemon juice and taste.  Serve right away.  Lap it up!

If you want this soup thicker, add another ¼ C lentils.  A nice combo is ¼ C brown lentils and ¼ C red lentils.  Or use blue lentils. If you want more veggies, that’s fine too.  Add chopped carrots, parsnips, or whatever you have in your frig. Mushrooms are wonderful. Soup too thick? Add more water or vegetable broth. Soup even better the second day.

A satisfying, simple vegetarian stew served over whole grains.  Of course you can add tempeh, tofu, shrimp, chicken, lamb, beef or chickpeas.   Millet is one of those under-utilized grains that is alkalizing, easy on the digestive system, somewhat foreign to us, but “friendly” when combined with something we already know and love like rice.   Too many ingredients?  Not really.  Lots of spices, but the veggies and grains are “ordinary” and I bet you have all these ingredients in your kitchen as a matter of course.  Yes, I do use organic veggies, and if you can, you are getting higher nutrient values.

Serves 4 (or more if you’re adding any of the other ingredients above)

Grain:  In a pot with a tight-fitting lid, gently warm olive oil.  Sauté carrot and onion together with salt and turmeric (onion will soften and become translucent).  Add water and grain.  Bring to a boil, turn flame to lowest, cover pot and simmer until grain has absorbed all the liquid, about 45 minutes.

Stew:  While the grain is cooking, in a large saucepan, gently warm olive oil and sauté onion until soft, about five minutes.  Add garlic, and stir another minute.  Mix in spices, diced tomatoes, carrots and zucchini.  Bring to a boil.  Turn flame to lowest, cover pot and simmer 20 minutes.  Add lemon.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon grain onto serving platter, or onto individual plates.  Form well in center of grain.  Spoon stew into well.  Sprinkle with cilantro.  Garnish each plate with a lemon wedge.  Voila!

Soups are perfect for those with allergies because they can easily be made without wheat, soy, dairy, eggs, or other foods that are so difficult for many.  And soups are comfort food when it’s dark outside.  Here’s another soup from me to you this January 2008.  May 2008 bring you and yours health and happiness!

We’ve become addicted to maitake mushrooms, also called ‘hen of the woods’ or ‘dancing mushrooms’.  Why are we addicted?  Not only do they have an amazing taste and firm texture, but maitakes are one of the most revered deep immune tonics in Chinese medicine.  In Japan, doctors use maitakes to lower blood pressure, boost immune systems (again), and, as Adam wrote in our March 2006 newsletter, maitakes regulate blood sugar, protect the liver and taste a little like chicken.

Serves 4

Gently warm olive oil in a soup pot.  Add garlic and sauté over medium heat, stirring occasionally until garlic softens, a few minutes.  Add saffron, coriander, curry, red pepper flakes, basil and mint.  Stir a minute, and slowly add hot broth and then red lentils.  Bring soup to a boil, lower heat, cover pot and simmer for 30 minutes.  Then add mushrooms (torn wildly into bite-sized pieces) and spinach.  Simmer an additional 5 minutes.  Add coconut milk (or more broth if you prefer), lemon juice, turn off heat, and let soup stand for five minutes.  Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve garnished with cilantro.

Want to add tofu, tempeh, shrimp or chicken to this soup?  But, of course, dollink!

*Coconut milk isn’t authentic, but I like the way it melds flavors.  If you omit, flavors will simply be a little sharper.  This is not the prettiest soup, and unlike other soups, is best eaten the day it’s made.