Food and lifestyle with a dusting of magic
This easy lentil soup recipe is perfect for a cold day. It is really easy to make and will fill you up and make you feel warm and happy.
Disclosure: I was sent a vegetable box to help me make some soup. I was not told what to write and my opinions are my own.
Over the last few days the weather has been much colder. You can feel the chill in the air when you get up in the mornings. The trees are rapidly losing their leaves and you know winter will soon be here.
When the days turn colder there is nothing nicer than a bowl of hot soup. It helps to warm you up. On colder days I always feel really hungry and soup helps to stop these hunger pangs.
Lentil soup is the perfect winter warmer. It is cheap to make and tastes delicious. Why not make a big pot to keep you going all week?
Can you imagine living on the streets in this weather? Sadly lots of people in Britain are homeless and don’t have a choice. Centrepoint is a charity who work to support over 10,000 homeless 16 – 24 year olds each year back into a home and a job.
Centerpoint are calling on people to sign up to The Big Broth to help them do this. The Big Broth wants to turn the nation into souper troupers. The aim is to throw over 3000 soup parties in homes, offices and community spaces across Britain to help raise money. Why not get together with friends and have a lunch party?
Invite your friends round, make a big pot of soup and add delicious toppings to give every bowl a smile. Fashion a smiley face from whatever you have in the kitchen, croutons, basil, cherry tomatoes or grated cheese. Share on social media with #TheBigBroth.
The more bowls you serve up, the more money you’ll raise to help homeless young people. Why not offer a prize for the best bowl?
Register and download starter pack at www.centrepoint.org.uk/bigbroth
If you don’t want to host a soup party why not look out for the packs of Yorkshire Provender red pepper and chorizo soup in Waitrose? This soup is the creation of home cook Omero Galluci from Guildford who is the winner of the Big Broth cook off competition. Yorkshire Provender have made his soup and 20p from each one sold will go to Centrepoint.
This lentil soup is really easy to make. It uses red lentils which form a lovely thick puree when you cook them. This results in a very thick and filling soup. Rinse the lentils before using them.
First cut peel an onion and carrot and cut into very small pieces. Chop up a stick of celery. Warm some oil in a pan and gently fry and onion, carrot and celery until they are soft. Now add the lentils along with some water. I also throw in some turmeric, cumin and coriander which adds a subtle spicy flavour. Cook for around twenty minutes until the lentils are thick and the soup is done. Season with salt and pepper.
Top tip: When I make this soup I usually boil a ham and use it to make a glazed roast ham. Keep the ham stock and use it along with some water in this soup. It really adds to the flavour.
Why not pin for later?
This gives the soup a totally different flavour which is really nice.
Get the recipe: Tomato lentil soup
This is a delicious warming soup which you can leave in the slow cooker to cook.
Get the recipe: Slow cooked ham and split pea soup
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Lentils make a great base for many soups. I’m going to cook pumpkin soup with red lentils today, as I’m now carving a pumpkin and want to use the inside.
That sounds lovely