cozy curry lentil soup recipe

I make this nutritious lentil soup often during the colder months. It is packed with fiber which is essential for skin and gut health. I like to look at recipes more as inspiration rather than strict rules. This is just a loose guide, use your intuition and creativity. I use my 7 1/2 quart dutch oven for this - use your favorite large soup pot.

3 tablespoons coconut oil (olive oil works too)

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon yellow curry paste ( maybe more, to taste)

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

generous amount of salt and pepper

1 small yellow onion diced

3 medium size carrots peeled and chopped

2 sticks celery chopped

4 cloves of garlic minced

1 thumb size portion of ginger peeled and minced

1 lemon (half sliced and half for juice)

1 can of diced tomatos

1 can of coconut milk

1 cup of yellow lentils ( they are orange when dry but turn yellow when cooked)

4 cups of broth ( I like to use chicken bone broth but use whatever suits you)

Grab your soup pot and heat oil over medium heat. Add mustard seeds and onion, cook until onions soften and seeds start to pop, about 5 minutes. Add all other seasonings (except bay leaf), curry paste, garlic, ginger, carrots and celery. Stir everything together for another few minutes. Add in tomatos, coconut milk, broth, and lentils. Squeeze lemon juice, add lemon slices and bay leaf. Give it a good stir and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, turn heat to low and cover. Keep covered for about 45 minutes to an hour. Checking in on it once or twice to give it a taste test and see what it needs. Let it cool down and serve in your favorite soup bowl with sour cream, avocado, and cilantro.

*If you like more smooth soups you could put this in a blender and roughly blend it.