Here is a recipe for a soup that I make almost weekly. It keeps very well in the fridge and lends itself nicely to add-ins of whatever you might happen to have on hand. I often add cooked mushrooms, kale, arugula or onions. The recipe can easily be halved.

Ingredients

1.5 cups Red Lentils**
0.5 cup Brown Rice
4 inch strip Kombu Seaweed
10 cups Water***

Servings 11 – 1 cup servings

Method

Total Cook Time: About 60 minutes

Combine all ingredients in a large pot and slowly bring to a boil. Reduce heat to lowest setting and cover.

After about 30 minutes, or just as it begins to disintegrate, remove the kombu. If you forget to remove it, your soup will turn into an unpleasant jelly. Keep covered and let simmer for a total of 60 minutes.

I like to season the soup with some cinnamon and red pepper flakes, but I can think of many other spices that would be great in this soup. Cardamom, sage and curry are a few that come to mind, but really, be creative!

**Though they are called “red lentils,” the beans are actually orange when they are dry and green after you cook them.

***I have taken to using four cups of vegetable stock and six cups of water. Why four cups? Because that is the volume of one box of Pacific Organic stock. Everybody seems to love it!

Nutrition Information

Serving Size: 1 cup (250g)
Total Cal: 125
Protein: 7.4g
Fat: 0.5g
Carb: 22.3g (8.3g Fiber, 0.5g Sugars)
Iron: 12% RDA
Calcium: 2% RDA