Indian Lentil Soup

This is another recipe from one of my favorite blogs, Gillian's Goodies. I love Indian spices and was in the mood for lentils at lunchtime today. This soup is quick to put together and I already had all of the ingredients on hand. The finished product was delicious. This would also be great over rice.

Indian Lentil Soup

Ingredients:
2/3 cup green lentils
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup carrot, diced
3 T. oatmeal
1 tsp. tomato paste
4 cups water or vegetable broth(this was even awesome using water)
Vegetable oil (I used olive)
Juice of 1 lemon
Method:
1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the cumin, coriander, curry powder, and garlic. Stir for 1 minute until the flavours bloom/become fragrant. Add the onion and saute until translucent. Stir in the tomato paste.

2. Add 4 cups water or broth, carrots, lentils, and oatmeal. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are soft. You can add salt and pepper to taste if desired.(I added the lemon right before the lentils were done)

**Note, the original recipe also called for 1/3 cup diced potato.**

Reference:
This recipe is from "Fresh Mama's: Whole Cooking for Our Whole Families"