Meatless Monday: Easy Lentil Soup

I'm trying out #MeatlessMonday posts here on Olivia Cleans Green. This is not a food blog, but I think Meatless Monday is awesome and I'd love to encourage people to eat more vegetarian meals. So each week, starting today, I'm going to share a vegan recipe that I've tried myself and can confirm will reap delicious results without advanced cooking skills or access to exotic ingredients.

Lentils for #meatlessmonday lunch

Today I made a big pot of lentil soup following a popular 2 step recipe from AllRecipes.com.  The great thing about lentil soup is you can't really mess it up. As long as you include lentils and water, you're pretty much good. Here are a few tips and tweaks I've tried with this recipe:

• red onion instead of yellow
• vegetable broth made with Better than Bouillon vegetable base in place of all or half the water
• I usually make a huge pot, so I'd say use about 3-4 cups of water/broth for each cup of lentils. I like a chunkier soup and you can always add more water or broth as you go too.
• diced canned tomatoes instead of crushed
• palmful of Italian seasoning mix (rosemary, oregano, thyme, basil,and parsley) instead of just oregano and basil. Use your favorite spices.
• without garlic and vinegar (still tasty!)
• frozen kale in place of fresh spinach (add about 10 minutes before end of cook time)
• add potatoes or sweet potatoes/ yams (add about 30 minutes before cooking time ends)
• cook for an hour and a half for softer lentils.

Did you know lentils are superhealthy? According to 9 Reasons to Love Lentils, they are teensy nutrient powerhouses containing iron, protein, phosphorus, copper, vitamin B1, potassium. Woo hoo! Go lentils! I know I always feel satisfied and energized after eating a bowl of this soup with a thick slice of toasted bread or crackers.

Happy Meatless Monday! Let me know if you try this recipe. Also, let me know if you're eating something else meatless tonight.

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