So yesterday I asked on Facebook whether you guys would prefer a soup or muffin recipe today… and somehow soup won. What?! You guys are crazy. But soup it is. Rest assured we’ll do muffins on Friday.
Speaking of choosing soup over pastries… I just found out that a donut shop is going in below my yoga studio. And I’m conflicted.
On the one hand, I like donuts. I can’t say I’m opposed to donut-y aromas wafting up into the studio as I lie in shavasana.
On the other hand, I don’t feel like yoga and donuts really go together. I can’t imagine I’ll want to pick up a donut on my way out of my power class at 8 pm… which is probably a good thing. Just cancel all those chaturangas right out, will ya?
Nothing against donuts, but I have to admit I hoped (or maybe even assumed) that the space would go to a little vegetarian cafe I could patronize all the time in my sweaty yoga gear. Because that’s obviously what happens to all businesses in the vicinity of a popular yoga studio – lots of sweaty patrons! At least in Salt Lake that’s what happens… because here it’s totally OK to go to a bar in your ski pants. True story. Going straight from your workout to a restaurant doesn’t raise a single eyebrow.
Have my standards for dress and personal hygiene slipped since moving here? Possibly.
The other restaurant next to my yoga studio, which is regularly packed with sweaty yogis, is a Middle Eastern cafe. Now that is some food that goes well with yoga! They have some of THE best vegetarian grape leaves I have ever had, and I love ordering their sampler platter with grape leaves, muhamara (a red pepper dip) and tabbouleh. Sooo good. Definitely enough food to replenish my stores after dozens of chaturangas – never mind any donuts.
Another delicious menu item is this lentil-spinach soup. I gather it’s pretty standard Lebanese fare, because I’ve seen it on the menu of almost every Lebanese restaurant I’ve visited, and a quick Google search will turn up countless recipes. There may be different variations, but the concept is very simple: A blend of onions, cumin, lentils and broth, topped with lemon and spinach. Pretty unassuming, but it’s incredibly tasty and light and really hits the spot.
Dishes like this make me wonder why I try to dress up my soups by adding unnecessary ingredients and spices. It’s true what they say: Less is more.
I recommend this soup to even the non-lentil-lovers among you. You’ll love the way the lemon and cumin brighten up what could otherwise be an earthy-tasting lentil dish. It’s quite light-tasting, actually! Make sure to serve with a few extra lemon wedges. And the spinach ribbons on top start out crisp but cook a bit as you eat the soup, so they’re never mushy or watery. Mmmm spinachy, lentily, soupy heaven.
You could eat this soup after yoga, after work, or even after a donut. Sweaty attire encouraged!
No but seriously – it is great for lunch or a light dinner alongside some doughy pita bread. Or a salad! Or an apple, which is how I had it for lunch yesterday. And that’s the plan again today! I love it when I still have leftovers by the time I post a recipe. Otherwise I look at the pictures in the morning and get HUNGRY.
Enjoy this soup, and enjoy your Halloween tomorrow! As you can probably tell, I don’t really do Halloween recipes… but I most certainly do fall recipes, and I have just such a recipe coming up for you on Friday! Fall muffins. Just you wait.
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 Tbsp cumin (yes, Tbsp)
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 5 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups split red lentils, picked over and rinsed
- pinch of cayenne
- juice of 2 lemons + extra lemon wedges for serving
- 2-3 cups thinly sliced fresh spinach leaves
- Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Once hot, add onion, salt and pepper and saute until onions are soft, 4-6 minutes. Add cumin and coriander and saute an additional 30 seconds. Add vegetable stock and lentils and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer over low heat until lentils are falling apart, 15-20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and puree until smooth with an immersion blender. (You can also puree it in batches in a regular blender. Just make sure the steam has room to escape so it doesn't explode all over your kitchen!)
- Stir in cayenne and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasonings. If necessary, return to stove until hot.
- Ladle into bowls and top each with a large handful of sliced spinach leaves. Serve with extra lemon wedges and enjoy!
- Leftovers will keep covered in the fridge for up to a week. Some separation is normal; just stir together while reheating. The soup will thicken as it sits, so feel free to add more water to get it back to your desired consistency.
Oooooh Lebanese, I loooove the Lebanese mhhhmmhmmm! < – – – Have you seen that Geico commercial? I've never made Lebanese anything and I could 200% eat lentils every day, so I'm definitely on this like white on rice!
P.S. I Love that you clarified, yes 1 tablespoon of cumin in your recipe – for some reason, folks doubt my spice measurements in my recipes, and I'm like, "do you want it to have flavor? Yes? 1 tablespoon!" Anyhoo, soup looks amazing!
Haha no I haven’t, or it would have surely made an appearance in this post! :)
And 1 Tbsp seemed like a lot of cumin even to me as I was coming up with the recipe… it’s like 1/4 of the spice bottle! But totally necessary for that flava!
That’s too funny about people frequenting bars in workout clothes. Reminds me of my college- soo many people went to class in sweats/leggings/Ugg boots/etc.
I love the simplicity of this soup- plus, the lemon and cumin makes me feel like it’s light enough to be great year round, not just during cool weather soup season :)
That donut shop sounds like it could be dangerous. Although, I can pass up a regular donut but if it’s a vegan donut, forget about it. I’m immediately tricked into thinking it’s okay to eat because it’s vegan.
I’ve never had Lebanese food but this soup looks divine. I love the shredded spinach on top. I still can’t believe people voted for soup though.
Totally fell for that with vegan donuts at work the other day! And agreed about the soup vote – craziness!
Looks good to me, sounds a lot better for after yoga than donuts! haha
I agree! Lentils and yoga just go together. Thanks for the comment, Mallory!
I love the use of thinly sliced spinach leaves! So unusual. This recipe looks right up my alley – I love the texture of blended lentils in soup, but I’ve never found a great recipe! I’ve got to try this!
Love Love Love this soup! Good luck with the donut shop…..(dangerous) I’m excited to see the muffin recipe too! You are my inspiration for baking!
This soup was fast and easy to make and it’s delish. Using the immersion blender was such a great idea….no mess to clean up. I made it for our lunch and we each had two bowls! We put a big handful of spinach on top and my hubby used lots more red pepper.
I LOVE my immersion blender for soups! Glad you and your hubby enjoyed it, Lesley :)
Oh, I am definitely making this! I ate a similar thing a few times whilst I was travelling through Turkey last year, it was divine :)
I would love to travel to Turkey! Must have been amazing. I hope this soup can bring back a little piece of it for you :)
Yummm. Made it tonight for lunches for the week and couldn’t stop dipping the spoon to lick it again. I added some diced carrots for a bit of texture and a handful of chopped parsley, which I think goes well with these flavors. Love how easy it was to make and how creamy and comforting it is. Thanks!
So glad you like it, Katy! Love your additions. Enjoy your lunches!
This delicious soup is exactly what my pregnant belly was needing!!! It is super tasty, nutricious and made my two little ones jump of joy. Oh! And my husband loved it too :-) Thank you!!!!
So glad you and your family enjoyed it, Elena! :)
Yum! I’ll be making this again – very tasty!
Glad to hear you liked it, Henriette!
My mother moved away recently, and left me with a bunch of red lentils. I just made this soup today and it is delicious! I will have to get my partner, who says he detests lentils, to have a taste. I have proven him wrong on his dislikes before, more than once! :D
So glad you enjoyed it, Kaman! You’ll make a lentil lover out of your partner yet :)