Healthy dinner...easy soup recipe

Here goes the first recipe of many, I hope!

It's a mild curry flavored soup made with red lentils, which you can get from Asian/Arabic markets or health food stores (Clarks Nutrition in Loma Linda for sure) or you can use small white beans instead. Either way, both are full of fiber (not more fiber, you groan) and curry has been suggested to have anti infective and anti cancerous properties. Either way, it's really tasty......have a look at the picture...I garnished it with lime slices, a bit of natural yogurt and some fresh mint leaves and served it with some naan bread (an Indian bread...available fresh or frozen from Trader Joe's).


Curried lentil soup (inspired by a recipe from BBC Food)

Ingredients

1 tbsp curry paste (you can use curry powder if you don't have paste, just add 1 tbsp canola oil when you fry the onion etc)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1.5 in piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds (cumin powder is ok if you don't have seeds to hand)
2 cups red lentils or canned white beans (rinsed)
2 1/2 pints chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup golden raisins (regular raisins can be substituted if nec.)
1 lime, grated rind and juice
salt and pepper
fat free natural yogurt, chopped fresh mint, pita or naan bread to serve

Method

Put curry paste or powder and oil along with onion, garlic, cumin & ginger in a large stock pot and cook gently for about 4 minutes, stirring.

Add lentils or beans and stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add golden raisins to the pot and cook gently for another 10 minutes. Then add the lime rind and juice, salt and pepper as necessary (or as your diet allows!)

Ladle into bowls and dollop with yogurt and mint. Serve with warm pitas or naans.

Serves about 4.