I have a huge 3-ring binder filled with recipes that I collect: magazine pages from the doctor’s waiting room, labels torn from a can of beans, online articles and printed for inspiration or written down on scraps of paper. Some I have already tried and loved, but the rest I keep “just in case” of… what? The next time someone asks me, “Can you please bring this very specific dish that you’ve never made before?” That’s never going to happen. So in 2019, I’m going to dig through my binder and finally try all the recipes that I’ve been saving up.

Recipe: Green Lentil Soup with Cumin and Lemon

Source: Edible Seattle, September/October 2009

Get the recipe here!

Lentils are a fantastic source of dietary fiber, iron, Vitamin B6 and folate, as well as being one of the cheapest sources of protein available. The majority of lentils in the United States come from the Palouse region of Eastern Washington and the Idaho panhandle. The National Lentil Festival has been held in Pullman, Washington every year since 1989.

This hearty vegan recipe is packed full of vegetables and extremely filling. You could even modify it by adding some of your favorite veggies if they aren’t already included. This soup is great for cold winter months, and features lots of seasonal root vegetables and leafy greens.

Modifications, Testing and Recommendations: There is a lot of chopping involved in this recipe, so if you’re hosting people over for dinner, you can chop most of the vegetables beforehand and store them in the fridge. Then you can enjoy the conversation and a glass of wine with your friends, instead of having tears streaming down your face from chopping an entire onion.

Serve the soup with slices of warm crusty sourdough bread. Thick bean and legume soups like this one pair well with a medium-bodied red wine like a Côtes du Rhône or a young Syrah.