Three lentils and quinoa soup with cashew cream

March 22, 2015 Published by Dina

It’s officially spring here in the Okanagan but still kind of cloudy and cool. The lilacs are trying to bud and I hope their efforts are going to be rewarded with warm weather and enough sunshine.

So what I am trying to say is that it is still cool enough here to enjoy a warm bowl of hearty and delicious homemade soup. I wanted to have a simple dinner of soup and salad and have some soup left for a quick meal here and there during the week. This three-lentil soup is one of my go to soups when I want something quick, hearty and nourishing. I grew up on a similar soup made with lentils and rice and I have been making it ever since with slight variations. Lately I have taken to making it with three types of lentils because I like the colour confetti effect in the soup. I make a pot of it and keep it in mason jars in the fridge and warm it up when we need it. It’s filling and satisfying and has the essence of beautiful home made food.

Turmeric lends the soup a golden hue and cumin a dash of the exotic. I drizzle the soup with olive oil in which I marinate chopped parsley and if I have it I spoon a dollop of cashew cream on top. I like to keep the soup a little chunky so I never puree it. You can add more stock or water to thin it up if it thickens too much. You can make it with or without the quinoa, or substitute the quinoa with another small grain of your choice.


Three-lentil and quinoa soup

Three-lentil and quinoa soup


 

Ingredients:


 

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion., chopped

Lentils du Pui

Lentils du Pui

2 cloves garlic

1 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon cumin, ground

1 1/2 cups red lentils

1/4 cup black lentils

1/4 cup green lentils or sprouted lentils

1/4 cup quinoa or 1 cup cooked quinoa

6 cups vegetable stock,  plus 2 cups more as needed

Salt

Optional: a squeeze of lemon

Cashew cream (see recipe here)

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley


 

Directions:


 

Heat oil in a large pot, add onion and cook until softened.

Add garlic and cook until fragrant.

Add the spices and stir until the oil  and onion are infused with the spices.

Add the lentils and quinoa and stir for a minute.

Add the stock and bring to a boil.

Lower the heat and simmer the soup partially covered until the grains are cooked through, about 30 minutes. Half way through the cooking add about 2 additional cups of stock or water to keep the soup from getting too thick.

Add salt to taste.

If you like a lemony flavour squeeze a wedge or two of lemon into the soup.

Combine the olive oil and parsley and let infuse for 30 minutes while the soup is cooking.


 

To serve:


 

Ladle the soup into bowls, spoon cashew cream on top and drizzle with the parsley oil.

Serve warm.


 

Three-lentil and quinoa soup

Three-lentil and quinoa soup

On my rooftop patio

On my rooftop patio



 

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