Red Lentil-Pumpkin Soup

I hope all of my east coast friends are safe and sound. This hurricane business is no joke. I couldn’t help but be distracted yesterday at work, especially after BFF sent a text message alerting me that Sandy may be reeking havoc on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Sometimes, Google is not my friend.

First article that popped up: dangerous winds and 20 foot waves between the town I live and the town I work, with 30 miles of Lake Michigan shores running along the road the entire way. Wonderful. The Midwest has lost their reputation as the safest (and yet, we’re still the most boring) place to live in the United States.

By the time I arrived home (safely and unscathed by mother nature), the winds had picked up a lot. Would the wind knock out my internet just as my stupidity nearly stole my cookbook? These kinds of things happen to procrastinators like me.

T-2 days until this cookbook gets sent off. *knock on wood*

While the weather cooperated, so did dinner.

The only good thing about Mr. Prevention being away on work is my opportunity to try recipes he would turn up his nose to. Yes, the man turns up his nose when my response to, “What’s for dinner?” isn’t “Pizza” or “Buffalo Wing _________”.

Gotta love’em. And I’ve got to find the positive because when he left on Saturday after being home from LAST week’s business trip for only 24 hours, I cried. I throw the man under the bus publicly on a daily basis, but my god do I love him. More than the day I married him.

And you know what? He would’ve eaten this soup…and liked this soup. Because it’s delicious, of course. It was also really easy to make 🙂

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Red Lentil-Pumpkin Soup from Cooking Light

2 tsp olive oil oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth, divided
1 cup dried small red lentils
1 tsp ground cumin
scant 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1 cup water
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup unsalted pumpkinseed kernels/pepitas
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Heat a medium-to-large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat once hot. Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 4 minutes. Stir in 3 cups broth, lentils, and next 4 ingredients (through red pepper); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Place the lentil mixture in a blender or blend with an immersion or stick blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Return lentil mixture to pan over medium heat. Add remaining 1/2 cup broth, 1 cup water, and pumpkin to pan; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Stir in ginger and lemon juice. Ladle 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 4 bowls; top each serving with 1 tablespoon yogurt, 1 tablespoon pumpkinseeds, and 1 tablespoon cilantro. Serve hot.

Yield: 4 servings (1 1/2 cups each).

Nutrition Information (per serving): 264 calories; 6.8 g. fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 426 mg. sodium; 37.0 g. carbohydrate; 9.8 g. fiber; 16.8 g. protein

Result: This was such a perfect fall soup. I increased some of the flavors (lemon juice, ginger, garlic, salt) to give it a bit more oomph, but it was a great soup and very simple to make. This time of year, I use my immersion blender a lot and contrary to popular belief, that inexpensive kitchen gadget is incredibly helpful especially when compared to the dangerous task of blending hot soups in blenders. Enjoy!

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 Early morning meeting. But first, a (small) pot of coffee.

Be well,