6-8 meals for under $12 (Recession food)! - MOROCCAN LENTIL SOUP

This is a very nutritious and DELICIOUS dish, full of carbs and protein. In this economy, its cheap too! Enjoy this "I thought about keeping it secret" recipe GLP!

MOROCCAN LENTIL SOUP

Ingredients:

2 cups of chopped onion (about 1 large yellow onion, or 2 medium)
6 cloves of garlic, smashed and minced
1 teaspoon of grated ginger root
4 medium large carrots, a little less than the onions, chopped
1 cup of dried Lentils
1 cup of dried Northern Beans
1 cup of dried Chick Peas
4 large tomatoes, diced into fairly large cubes (a little less than an inch) – approx 2lbs
8 cups of water
Olive oil
½ teaspoon of turmeric
½ teaspoon of ground coriander
2 teaspoons of ground cumin
2 teaspoons of smoked or regular paprika (I used smoked)
½ teaspoon of cayenne for medium heat, 1 teaspoon for pretty hot, 1.5 teaspoons if you are very very brave.
About 20 turns of fresh ground black pepper
Salt to taste, sugar to compliment (explained later)
Cilantro, chopped.

Preparation:

Start by preparing the beans and lentils. In a sauce pan, combine dried chick peas and northern beans and cover with water. Allow to come up to a boil, and then turn off the heat and allow to sit for 1 hour. After 1 hour, strain the beans, rinsing under cold water and then set aside. If you have another sauce pan, you can cook the lentils at the same time. Cover lentils with water and bring to a boil for approximately 2 minutes, then reduce to simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes. Once they are done, drain, rinse and set aside.

In a large stew pot, add olive oil and allow it to come up to medium high heat. Add onions when the pot is heated and sauté for about 2 minutes, then add 1 of the teaspoons of cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, garlic and ginger. Sauté for another few minutes until the onions are soft. It will get very aromatic, not to worry. Then add the water, tomatoes, carrots and the last teaspoon of cumin. Stir, then cover and allow to come up to a boil. Boil for a few minutes, and then reduce the heat to simmer. Salt (I used about 2 tablespoons, but I don’t measure) to taste. Add a couple of good pinches of sugar to counter the salt. Simmer with the cover vented (cover about 3/4ths) for about 1 hour or more, until the beans are soft but not too soft! When the beans are done, re-season with salt and an appropriate amount of sugar to counter (all tastes differ). Add the fresh ground pepper and allow to simmer for a few more minutes.

Serve in a bowl and garnish with some fresh chopped cilantro. Makes about 6-8 servings, depending on how hungry you are.

Enjoy!