This simple, nourishing soup is filling but gentle on your digestive system. It’s great for healthy bodies or those suffering from a little winter sickness! Lentils and rice provide protein and heft, while the miso and coconut are nice and soothing. Adding whatever leftover veggies or grains you might have on hand is a great way to give second life to stale leftovers.
Red lentil Soup with Miso and Coconut
2 Tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil
½ cup sliced onions
½ cup sliced carrots
1 cup red lentils, washed and drained
4 cups water or broth
½ cup coconut milk
2 Tablespoons miso
1 cup cooked brown rice or quinoa
black pepper to taste
handful of mixed greens (spinach, kale, etc.)
- In a saucepan, heat oil until warm. Add onions and cook for 10 minutes, or until browned. Add carrots and lentils. Cook for one minute, until lentils are coated.
- Add water to saucepan and bring lentil mixture to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until soft and mushy.
- In a small bowl stir together miso and coconut milk until smooth. Add to lentil mixture, along with brown rice, pepper, and greens (you can also add any leftover vegetables here!). Taste, adding salt or more coconut milk as needed.
Yield: 2-4 servings
Lentils are also commonly used in Ethiopia in a stew-like dish called kik, or kik wot, one of the dishes people eat with Ethiopia’s national food, injera flat bread. Yellow lentils are used to make a nonspicy stew, which is one of the first solid foods Ethiopian women feed their babies.