As I've gotten older, I can't handle this damn cold weather!  What the heck happened to me?  Don't answer that...but when it's cold out our gas fire place becomes our favorite roommate and we make a lot of soup.  Our oldest, Emily (and my partner in crime), is a vegetarian, so I am always looking for ways to please her palette.  Oh, and my mother-in-law, who is sort of a soup connoisseur, and will whip up a batch of soup anytime of the year, really liked this recipe so I figured if she liked it, I should definitely share it! 

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp coconut oil

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced

• 2 tbsp tomato paste or ketchup

• 3 tbsp curry powder

• 1 tsp hot red pepper flakes

• 8 cups of vegetable broth

• 1 can coconut milk (400ml)

• 1 large can diced tomatoes (400g)

• 1 1/2 cups dry lentils

• 3 handfuls of frozen or fresh spinach

• 1/2 tsp salt and pepper (or add to taste)

INSTRUCTIONS:  

1. In a stockpot, heat the coconut oil over medium heat and stir fry the onion, garlic, and ginger for 1 - 2 minutes

2. Add the tomato paste, curry powder, red pepper flakes, salt & pepper, and stir for another 1-2 minutes;

3. Add the vegetable broth, coconut milk, diced tomatoes, and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 20-30 minutes until the lentils are soft.

4. Add frozen or fresh spinach and cook for another 10-15 minutes.

5. Enjoy!

You can make this ahead of time, freeze it, and reheat it over medium heat. 

***I like a lot of broth.  If you don't, you can reduce the vegetable broth to 6 cups.