It's Recipe Swap Day! I’m participating in an Old Fashioned Recipe Blog Swap! I am swapping blogs with Tanusree from Ma Niche. I just know you’re going to love what she’s got for you today. It's vegetarian and I can't wait to try it!
I’ll be sharing my recipe for Lemon Thyme Mushrooms on her blog, so be sure to stop by and check it out! If you want to go see all of the recipes in the blog swap be sure to go and visit one of the host’s Rachel {i love my disorganized life}, Julie {White Lights on Wednesday} or Kelley {Miss Information}, to see all the recipes linked up in the swap.
I’ll be sharing my recipe for Lemon Thyme Mushrooms on her blog, so be sure to stop by and check it out! If you want to go see all of the recipes in the blog swap be sure to go and visit one of the host’s Rachel {i love my disorganized life}, Julie {White Lights on Wednesday} or Kelley {Miss Information}, to see all the recipes linked up in the swap.
As a mother of a demanding 19 months old toddler, these days I often find it easy to serve soup and sandwich for dinner. Its simple, healthy and can be prepared in no time. However since a regular Indian meal always includes a lentil soup or dhal, as we call it, and a side of vegetables, the soups I prepare are almost always lentil soups that are heavily loaded with veggies. So the other night I prepared a Broccoli Lentil Soup. This one turned out great.. at least that is what my husband said. Now that was quite a compliment coming from a person who is almost an 'anti-broccoli' person. So I said to myself ... "this recipe is a keeper. jot it down quick before you forget..." Here is how I made it... with the inclusion of spices and herbs this soup might seem slightly indulgent. But I am sure you'll not complain a bit after you have tasted it.
Broccoli Lentil Soup what i used...
1/4-1/2 cup red lentils (depending on how thick you want the soup to be)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, grated
3/4 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 carrot, chopped
broccoli florets, from 1/2 a medium sized broccoli
1 bay leaf
1 whole anise star
2 whole cloves (the spice)
2 tbsp orange juice
sea salt and pepper to taste
for the garnish pesto yogurt whipped with salt
what i did first of all i cooked the lentil/dhal to a mash. for this, i pressure cooked it in 3 cups of water along with some salt for 4 whistles then simmered the cooker for 10 minutes before switching of the heat. ( you can change the amount of water you add depending on the consistency you like.) once the dhal was cooked i heated the olive oil in a saucepan and added the onions, ginger, garlic and celery in it. cooked them over medium low flame until the onions looked translucent. i then added the dried oregano, dried thyme and coriander powder and cooked until fragrant. next i added the carrots and broccoli and cooked for about 8-10 minutes. once the vegetables became tender i added the cooked lentils, orange juice, bay leaf, anise star and cloves to the cooked vegetables, seasoned with enough salt and pepper and covered the pot and simmered the broth for about 20-30 minutes, until all the ingredients looked well combined. switching off the heat, i then plucked out the anise star, bay leaf and cloves from the broth and pureed it in the blender. (if plucking out the spices seems like an ordeal, you can always tie them in a clean cheesecloth , add to the broth and pluck out the cheesecloth before pureeing.) now that the soup was ready, i served it in the bowls, spooned a tablespoon of pesto in each of the bowls and topped it with a dollop of whipped yogurt...
Broccoli Lentil Soup what i used...
1/4-1/2 cup red lentils (depending on how thick you want the soup to be)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, grated
3/4 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 carrot, chopped
broccoli florets, from 1/2 a medium sized broccoli
1 bay leaf
1 whole anise star
2 whole cloves (the spice)
2 tbsp orange juice
sea salt and pepper to taste
for the garnish pesto yogurt whipped with salt
what i did first of all i cooked the lentil/dhal to a mash. for this, i pressure cooked it in 3 cups of water along with some salt for 4 whistles then simmered the cooker for 10 minutes before switching of the heat. ( you can change the amount of water you add depending on the consistency you like.) once the dhal was cooked i heated the olive oil in a saucepan and added the onions, ginger, garlic and celery in it. cooked them over medium low flame until the onions looked translucent. i then added the dried oregano, dried thyme and coriander powder and cooked until fragrant. next i added the carrots and broccoli and cooked for about 8-10 minutes. once the vegetables became tender i added the cooked lentils, orange juice, bay leaf, anise star and cloves to the cooked vegetables, seasoned with enough salt and pepper and covered the pot and simmered the broth for about 20-30 minutes, until all the ingredients looked well combined. switching off the heat, i then plucked out the anise star, bay leaf and cloves from the broth and pureed it in the blender. (if plucking out the spices seems like an ordeal, you can always tie them in a clean cheesecloth , add to the broth and pluck out the cheesecloth before pureeing.) now that the soup was ready, i served it in the bowls, spooned a tablespoon of pesto in each of the bowls and topped it with a dollop of whipped yogurt...
Check out more recipes on Tanusree's blog! Happy Memorial Day :)