Hearty Lentil Soup

It's been a little while since I've posted a recipe but the last couple of weeks have been mayhem in my household as we packed moved and unpacked apartments travelling all of 20 metres.  We left level 22 in one tower and moved to the tower next door on level 19.  Although the distance is insignificant and the movers were super sufficient, you just can't imagine how much stuff can be accumulated that need to be boxed and then unboxed and a new home found.  I'm also taking the opportunity to declutter.

The task is daunting as I unpack and unpack and keep unpacking and I'm making a bigger mess as I organise.  It's like the storm before the calm.  I just keep going and somehow don't feel like I'm getting anywhere.

After a week of take-away food (the kitchen was packed) and far too much drinking to counter the moving upheaval both hubby and I felt the need to detox ourselves, give our liver a much needed rest and focus on improving our wellbeing.

So we started with a morning dose of carrot, orange and ginger juice.  For lunch I made my usual lentil soup except that this time I increased the lentil quantity to make the soup heartier which will help me get through to dinner time easier.  The beauty with this soup is that other than a bit of peeling and chopping, all the ingredients get tossed into the pot, brought to boil then simmer and finished cooking in 25 minutes.  Dinner is likely to be another dose of juice, possibly beetroot based and snacks in-between will consist of mixed nuts and herbal teas (as opposed to coffee - although we do allow one coffee in the morning).

Ingredients

3 garlic clove, crushed and chopped
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 sticks celery, trimmed and chopped
0.5 cup frozen peas
2 nuggets of frozen spinach (optional)
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
1.5 cups brown lentil
1.25L stock

Method

Toss it all in a large saucepan and bring to boil.  Reduce to simmer and cook for 25 minutes.  Add more water/stock if the soup is too dense.

Serve with cracked pepper and enjoy with crusty bread or croutons.