So, I know that I told you I was planning to take you through my Christmas dinner today, but alas, all of the post drafts that I did during the website transition are lost :(. Sooooo, I’m reaching back and sharing a post of a soup I made before Christmas. Still veg-centric, still delicious!

But, before I get to the soup, I want to make (another) announcement … I have decided to give up dairy. Anyone who knows me, knows that this is a pretty big decision for me. Not because of milk, or yogurt, or eggs, or ice cream, but because of cheese. Ay vey, cheese! In the past month however, a slew of food documentaries and the book Eating Animals cast a grey cloud over dairy, in such a way that I have decided to give it up. Admittedly, this is going to be a really tough transition folks. When I stopped eating meat, I was totally fine, because I didn’t feel like I was missing anything. But cheese? Oh, I’m going to miss it. But my tummy (and my consciousness) won’t, so it’s worth the “sacrifice.” I look forward to getting your support through this next phase of my veg-centric journey!

And now, the soup! This is a New Mexican take on one of my favorite Indian soups, dahl. Super simple, super fragrant, super pretty. Enjoy! 😀

Green Chile “Dahl”

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1/2 yellow onion–diced

1/2 green pepper–diced

2 carrots–peeled and diced

2 celery ribs–diced

2 cloves garlic–minced

olive oil

salt

pepper

1 1/2 cups yellow lentils–dry

1 1/2 cups white wine

3 cups vegetable broth

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon tumeric

1 teaspoon ginger powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon -1 teaspoon hot green chile powder

garnish: smoked olive oil, lemon or orange juice, mint

Method:

*Prep veggies. Add 4 tablespoons olive to large stock pot. Add the bay leaf, tumeric, ginger powder, cumin, cinnamon and green chile powder. Cook over medium low heat for 1 minute, stirring. Add onion, pepper, carrots, and celery. Saute ~15 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft. Sprinkle with salt and a few grinds of pepper. Add garlic and cook for additional 2-3 minutes. Add rinsed, dry lentils, wine and broth. Stir. Simmer ~1- 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf. Continue cooking until lentils are completely tender. Let cool at least 10 minutes.

 

*Add lentil mixture to large blender (or use hand blender) and blend until smooth. Adjust seasoning. Add more broth if looser  soup is desired. Serve warm with fresh herbs, drizzle of raw olive oil, and squeeze of citrus. Enjoy!