It’s true that following a well balanced vegetarian diet is very good for your health, but I think it’s an assumption that all vegetarians and vegans eat healthfully. There are plenty of vegetarians and vegans who do not like vegetables and/or eat tons of processed foods. A well balanced diet should include at least 50 percent vegetables and fruits, and lots of whole grains and beans. This is true whether you eat meat or not.
As a vegetarian family, we eat a lot of lentils because they are a nutritional bomb, are easy to cook with and taste so darned good. This is a soup that hubby and I ended up tag teaming to make because one of us would get pulled away, so the other one had to take over a few times. As it turns out, we made an amazing soup that the whole family could not get enough of. It’s a perfect fall soup using seasonal vegetables such as parsnips and carrots. If you never have tried a parsnip before, you are missing out. It looks like a large white carrot and has a wonderful sweetness. In this soup, parsnips pair wonderfully with the spices.
- 2 tbsp. coconut oil
- 2 tsp. curry
- 1 tsp. turmeric
- 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- ½ yellow onion, minced
- 2 parsnips, peeled and diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup red lentils, rinsed
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- Salt and pepper to taste
Heat the coconut oil in a big soup pot. Add onion, garlic, ginger and all the spices. After about a minute, add the parsnips, carrots and the lentils. Stir for about another minute before adding the vegetable stock. Let it boil on low-medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste the soup, and add salt and pepper if needed. Add the tomatoes and let it boil for 5-10 more minutes. Blend 2/3 of the soup until creamy, then combine with remaining soup before serving.
