Lentil Soup with Cauliflower and Yogurt: Vegetarian

[beachgal]

DH made this soup kind of stew-like by adding barley and reducing the liquid. It was beyond delicious. I even ate it two days in a row, which I never do with anything! Additions/suggestions are in red.

Use veggie broth (as directed) and this is vegetarian. Use some kind of soy product instead of yogurt and it's vegan. Yumm-o!

Lentil Soup with Cauliflower and Yogurt
From: Lose Weight The Smart Low-Carb Way by Bettina Newman, R.D. and David Joachim
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:
1½ Tablespoons olive oil
1½ carrots, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1½ celery ribs, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced [we always use more]
1/3 cup canned crushed tomatoes [DH used the whole 28oz can, which was delish!]
1¼ cups (9oz) lentils, rinsed and drained
[DH added 1 cup of barley, uncooked]
4-4½ cans (14½ oz. each) vegetable broth [DH used less—said it would have been too soupy otherwise. More like 2 cans]
1 bay leaf
½ head (16 oz. total) cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets
2-3 Tablespoons lemon juice
½ tsp ground black pepper
[we added salt]
½ cup plain low-fat yogurt

Directions:
Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Stir in the carrots, onion, celery and garlic. Cover and cook until the onion begins to turn translucent, 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes [DH added the whole can], lentils, and 6½ cups of the broth. [DH added all the broth—2 cans worth—and the barley at this stage, too]. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce the heat. Skim off any froth that comes to the top and stir in the bay leaf. Cover and cook until the lentils are tender, 40-45 minutes, adding broth as needed.

Stir in the cauliflower. Partially cover and cook until the cauliflower is tender, 5-8 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and the pepper. Serve garnished with the yogurt. Discard the bay leaf.

Nutrition Information (per serving--without the barley and other changes):128 calories, 8g protein, 19g carbohydrates, 4g fat, 1g saturated fat, 1mg cholesterol, 950mg sodium, 5g fiber

[kalikat003]

That looks good.. I think I might try it!

Thanks!!! =]

[cottagebythesea]

Thanks, Laurie! I can't wait to try this, it sounds so good!

[Schmoodle]

Oh yum, and I have everything I need to make this right here!
Thanks Laurie.

[TwynnB]

Hmmm...might have to put this on the list too!