Friday 25 April 2014

Alina's Triple Lentil & Cauliflower Soup

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Dave Matthews Band ~ Crash Album 

The weather is a little bonkers here in my little part of the world. It's quite warm..well..ish and it's been pouring with rain for most of the morning. I am not complaining about the rain because I love being busy in the kitchen with rain pelting against my window and back door. Yep..serious rain lover. But I had been enjoying the spring sunshine and thought I had made the last of my serious winter soups so I was a little confused when I found myself printing off Alina's soup recipe from her great website veganrunnereats.com. It had all the comforting ingredients I was craving as I sat drinking my green tea and listened to the back ground music of the rain. For Alina's original recipe with all of her helpful alternatives simply click here folks.  

I opted use a little coconut oil at the beginning of the cooking but Alina uses veggie broth to start her cooking process. I also used 1/3 cup of split red lentils, 1/3 cup small brown lentils and 1/3 cup of lentils vert. And for my cooked grain I used good old brown rice. Soon I had a steamy kitchen window...a four legged fella following me around the kitchen (It has carrots in it and Archie is seriously addicted. Think I may have to sign him up for therapy soon..lol)...and a delicious smell coming from my soup pan. I didn't follow Alina's cooking instructions to the letter so I am posting my cooking instructions but for Alina's method simply skip back up to the link above. 

The soup itself has an interesting flavour...the blend of spices that Alina chose were definitely suited to my palate. I always love cauliflower so combined with the cooked down veggie soup base and the addition of the cooked rice at the serving point was a great meal for me. I really enjoyed it and when sat eating it, it was nice to have that whole winter feeling again. Yes...winter lover too! lol. I hope you try this recipe as it's easy to make and full of the good stuff and great flavours and textures. Thanks Alina. 

Alina's Triple Lentil and Cauliflower Soup

Alina's Triple Lentil & Cauliflower Soup   Serves 4-6
(Recipe by Alina @ veganrunnereats.com)

1 dsp coconut oil
1 med onion, diced 
1 celery stalk, diced 
2 med carrots, diced 
3 garlic cloves, micro-grated
8 cups veggie stock
1/3 cup split red lentils
1/3 cup small brown lentils
1/3 cup lentils vert
1 cup diced tomatoes (I used fresh plum tomatoes)
1 small head of cauliflower cut into florets
cooked rice or any grain (barley, quinoa, couscous) for serving

Spices:
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric 
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp assafoetida
1/2 tsp garam masala  
salt and pepper to season 

In a large soup pan gently heat the coconut oil and then add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery to the pan. Saute for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they have softened. You may need to add a little of the stock to prevent sticking. 

Add the spices and stir well to coat and allow to cook for 1 minute. Add the rinsed lentils, diced tomatoes and veggie stock. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer soup over a low/med heat for 20 minutes or until your selected lentils mix has softened. Season with salt and pepper. 

Add the cauliflower to the pot and stir in. Cover and cook the florets for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 15 minutes. To serve: place your chosen grain into individual serving bowls and top with the soup. 

Enjoy! 

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Friday is an amazing one...

~Red~ 

NB: This is not my recipe and therefore take no credit for it whatsoever. It is the hard work and creation of Alina @ veganrunnereats.com and hers alone. I do send thanks for a great recipe. ~R~