Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 1 Yellow Onion
• 1 Lemon
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• 3 Cilantro Sprigs
• 3 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
• 2 Cup Red Lentils
• 2 tsp. Vegetable Base
• 2 tsp. Berbere Seasoning
• 2 Whole Wheat Pitas
• Olive Oil
• Salt Pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook Within: Be sure to dice onions small, slightly bigger than lentils, and cook them until they are tender. This will help the texture of finished soup and prevent onion flavor from dominating soup. If you own an immersion blender, you can use that to puree and thicken soup instead of a whisk. Place it into soup and pulse a few times. We recommend keeping a slightly chunky consistency for best results.

2. 2

   Prepare the Ingredients: Peel and halve onion. Cut halves into ¼” dice. Zest lemon and quarter lengthwise. Mince garlic. Stem cilantro and coarsely chop leaves.

3. 3

   Combine lemon zest, berbere seasoning (start with: half, taste, and add more if desired), and 2 Tbsp. olive

4. 4

   Start the Soup: Place a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil and onions to hot pot. Cook, while stirring, 3-5 minutes, or until tender and translucent. Stir in tomato paste and garlic and cook 1 minute, or

5. 5

   Toast the Pitas: with ¼ of berbere oil (to taste). Season with ¼ tsp. salt and a pinch of pepper. Bake 6-8 minutes, or until warmed through and slightly crispy. Remove from oven, halve pitas, then cut each half into quarters. Continue Cooking the Soup Stir in lentils, vegetable base, 1 tsp. salt, and 5 cups water. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.

6. 6

   Reduce heat to medium and cook 10-12 minutes, or: until lentils are tender. Lentils will start to break down when fully tender. Use a whisk to vigorously stir soup and break up lentils in order to thicken soup. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper, turn heat to low, and cook 5 minutes.

7. 7

   Serve red lentil soup in a bowl and garnish with: remaining berbere oil (to taste) and chopped cilantro. Serve pitas on the side and squeeze lemon quarters over soup just before serving. recipe–it has bigger grains and is easier to pinch than table salt, allowing more control over flavor. If using regular table salt, reduce measured amounts twice. It’s brushed on the pita bread, as well as drizzled on • Berbere seasoning is a chile-spice blend essential to Ethiopian cuisine. If you prefer less spice, use half the seasoning when making oil and use finished oil to taste. the recipe before you start–we promise it will be time