Day 24 – A Soup for All Seasons

Carrot Orange Lentil Soup

One of my favorite things about Europe is the market scene – Christmas Markets, Easter Markets, Pumpkin Markets, and Farmer’s Markets to name a few. So we enjoyed a lovely morning with our fur babies at the local farmer’s market and came home with lots of loot. With our new Vitamix and fresh veggies came a new sense of adventure, and we thought we would try our hand at this soup.

Recipe

• Carrot Orange Lentil Soup

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Carrot Orange Lentil Soup – Based on the Vitamix Whole Food Recipe’s Gingered Carrot Orange Soup. Obviously, having a Vitamix makes this super easy, but you can use any good blender or food processor. It’s fresh enough for summer and comforting enough for winter. Could be served cold, though we prefer warm

• 3 c. Carrots chopped
• 2 c. Onions chopped
• 1 Clove Garlic whole
• 1 Tbsp Fresh Ginger (or about 1×1 inch cube) whole
• 3 Oranges peeled, seeded, and quartered
• 1×1 inch Piece of Orange Peel
• 5 c. Vegetable Broth
• 1 c. Red Lentils
• 1 Tbsp Curry
• 1/8 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
• Black Pepper to taste

Line a stockpot with a thin layer of water and water saute the onion until they soften. Add carrots, garlic, and piece of ginger and saute for about 5 minutes adding more water if necessary to keep it from sticking to the pan. Once softened, add about 1 c. of vegetable broth and simmer until vegetable are cooked. In a high speed blender or food processor, add oranges, peel, 1 c. broth and vegetable mixture (cooled if necessary). Blend until smooth, then return to stockpot. Add remaining broth, curry, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a low boil. Add lentils, turn down to simmer. Simmer on low for about 20 minutes. Check lentils to see if they’re the right texture (they are best if slightly firm, but not crunchy). Simmer longer if necessary. Add pepper to serve.