Curried Lentil and Veggie soup

2 medium onions, diced
5 cloves or garlic, peeled and diced
4 tsp ginger root, peeled and diced
2 fresh jalapenos, diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 large stalks celery, diced
3 medium size potatos, diced
1 large sweet potato diced
3 tbsp salted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
chopped cilantro, 5 tbsp and additional for garnish
fresh lemon wedges (optional)
1 tbsp cumin
1tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tsp cinnamon
.5 tsp fenugreek
4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
4 cups water
2 can chick peas
1 can diced tomato
2 cups lentils (red or other)
8 oz frozen spinach
5 oz froz peas

Rinse the lentils in a colander until the water is no longer murky, then set aside to drain.

Peel the garlic and ginger and dice along with the onions celery and jalapeno. melt the butter in a large saute pan, add the spices and cook untl just toasted, careful not to burn. Add the onions, garlic, ginger and jalapenos to the pan and saute until golden brown about 10 minutes. I add the olive oil as needed if the veggies are getting too dry in the pan.

In the meantime, peel the sweet potato and dice into bite size pieces. dice the potato as well (I leave the skin on, but peeled is good too), and the carrots In a large stockpot, add the 4 cups of low sodium chicken broth, and 4 cups of water. add the lentils, sweet potato, potato,carrots, can of diced tomato (undrained), the spinach, peas and the chick peas. Bring to a boil and then turn down to low to simmer for about 40 minutes or until the lentils are tender. I chop the cilantro and add it in at the end, with additional cilantro for garnish. I also serve with lemon slices to make it extra bright, and some whole wheat pitas or naan works really well too. I like my curries a little potent, so adjust the amounts to personal preference, a few tablespoons of premade curry powder would work just fine.

Serving Size: Makes appx 12 1.5 cup serving

Number of Servings: 12

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user AMANDAJ1122.