Is it too hot for soup yet?

Adam and I have not been getting enough vegetables, and it's starting to get really hot, so making it into the kitchen is only going to get more rough as the days go on.   Summer is a terrible season.  I hate everyone who disagrees with that fact.

I sweat like a four hundred pound gorilla, my kitchen gets terrible air circulation, and do I even need to mention summer in the city?  Ew.

Moving on.  We ended up making this Broccoli-Leek Soup with Lemon Chive Cream.  Cooking soup on a hot day = small fail.  It was pretty easy and super healthy.  If I had any vegetable stock in the freezer, it would have been totally vegan.  Minus the sour cream at the end, which was a delightful touch.

I used the immersion blender instead of the food processor, because I didn't feel like washing the whole thing, but I think that was a bad idea.  Word to the wise - use your food processor for soups with chunks of goods.

Lentil Soup

Once when I was sick, or lazy, Adam went to the grocery store without me.   He came home with Dinty Moore microwaveable meals.  Do you know what they are?  Because I didn't, and I still wish I didn't.  Ever since then, I get really scared when Adam goes by himself (sorry, sweetie, love you!), which is pretty rare in itself (still love you).  He went by himself last night and came home with a can of Campbell's lentil soup. "But I make lentil soup all the time?" I asked.

Anyway.  Tonight, I made lentil soup.  The last lentil soup I made had bacon and the one before that was curried.  I didn't want to do either so I used the epicurious app to help me.  I wanted to use lentils and carrots, and while I suppose I could have thought of this easy Red Lentil and Carrot Soup by myself, I didn't.  I only read a few of the reviews before committing myself to this because I couldn't bare to read any more than a few (ADD) and because I didn't care.  I wanted lentil soup, and I got it!

I know I've mentioned how much I love recipes, but I haven't touched upon how I actually modify them to better fit my or Adam's preference:

ingredients

3/4 pound red lentils*, picked over 2 cups red and French green lentils

7 cups water 2 cups chicken broth, 5 cups water

1 cup chopped onion

3 4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

5 carrots (about 10 ounces), halved lengthwise and sliced thin crosswise

1 diced yukon gold potato

1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper Adam does not like cooked peppers

1/4 cup packed fresh coriander sprigs, washed well, spin dry,  and chopped fine not in my fridge

1/4 cup chopped scallion greens forgot about this

cayenne to taste forgot about this too, but didn't really want a spicy lentil soup anyway

SALT AND PEPPER!!!

preparation

In a 4-quart saucepan bring lentils and water to a boil and skim froth. Stir in onion, garlic, ground coriander, cumin, and turmeric and simmer, partially covered, 15 minutes. Stir in carrots and bell pepper and simmer until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes. Soup may be prepared up to this point 3 days ahead, cooled, uncovered, and chilled, covered.

Stir in coriander, scallion greens, cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste.

Serve soup garnished with coriander sprigs

Rinse lentils.  Saute onions for a few minutes before adding garlic. Add chicken stock, water, lentils and spices.  (I would have added the spices before the liquid and lentils but I was short on time and I thought the garlic was one second away from burning).  Bring to boil, let simmer for 15-20 minutes.  SEASON with salt and pepper.  Add carrots and potatoes and let simmer for another 15 minutes.  Taste and SEASON AGAIN.  Then Booyah - Lentil Soup time.

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper are your best friends.  There is a difference between too salty, unsalted and perfectly seasoned.  Good luck.

p.s. I spilled Chimpy's food while trying to refill the container, and I contemplated leaving it all on the floor for him.  

I did not.