Recipe: Carrot & Lentil Soup

Carrot and Lentil soup

4 large carrots;
4 ounces of orange lentils;
1 large onion;
1 large tin of tomatoes;
2 pints of vegetable stock.

Chop the onion into medium size pieces and place into a saucepan. Use non stick - you don't need to add any oil so its healthier.

Fry the onions until they are soft and translucent then add the carrots you may want to add a little stock just to wet them and carry on cooking until you have them warmed through. Add all the stock and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and add the lentils, cover with a lid and leave to simmer for 15 minutes.

The lentils will go soft and absorb most of the liquid. Blend the soup in the saucepan with a hand blender and then add any extra liquid (either water or stock) to the thickness you want.

Add the tin of tomatoes and carry on blending until you have a smooth orange soup. The soup now is complete and should be brought back to the boil for a few moments to ensure the tomatoes are heated through.

If you wish this is the time to add any extra flavourings that you may like such as garlic or herbs but do taste the soup beforehand as the flavour is so good it doesn't really need much else. To garnish you could add chives and a little blob of cr me fresh but again that is optional.

Serve with your favourite bread either hot or cold and you have a filling, nutritional and healthy meal.