Red Lentil Soup with Millet and Cauliflower
This morning, the soft powdery stuff greeted me with a compromise- clear blue skies. Also temperatures that promised that the snow would melt and soft fluffy clouds would remain. All in all, hopes of spring. A spring that is temperamental and slow and seems to be indolent in making its entrance. This weather with its quicksilver moods, makes me want to reach out for a hot soothing bowl of soup. Working with red lentils of course is my all-time favorite comfort dish. Today I offer it to you as a Red Lentil Soup with Millet and Cauliflower.
My Red Lentil Soup Story
March cooking needs to have warmth and comfort. It cannot be quite as heavy as the bitterly cold February weather cooking. It conveniently works well for a meatless Monday meal. . Lentils, ancient grains and some veggies in a happy marriage of equals. This is the story of this red lentil soup.
We often think of fish as the quintessential l Lenten meal, after all when staying away from meat, fish offers a wonderful protein alternative, and when sourced right it can become a thing of beauty and joy forever. Given, my love for cooking fish I am often asked for fish recipes this time of the year, and given their proliferation on my blog I am more than happy to oblige however conceptually I end up with a slight problem.
Possibly more philosophical than conceptual, actually… Well, the truth of the matter is that I like fish and odds are if I was giving up something, living off fish would not end up being a sacrifice… But, possibly thinking plant based for lent might help you accomplish two objectives. You will have a dish that is sans meat and lean all at once, in this dish by adding millet, I have created a one dish meal that is bound to be a table favorite. Of course, if you are dying to enjoy it with some crusty bread, go ahead, I will not judge.
This weekend was all wrapped licking the wounds of not doing so well on the second round of the competition. It was very somber in the house yesterday, however today all is back to normal. A few weeks to regroup and then it shall be time for soccer. The kid has had mixed feelings about her dance teacher, I think it might be a tad too late in the game to change that. We shall see.
Millet is a great substitute for rice, and here is my recipe for perfect millet.
A gentle one dish meal, that is nourishing and perfect for a pre-spring meal, this dish brings together, cauliflower, red lentils and millet.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup red lentils
- 4 cups of water
- 3/4 cup of millet
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
- 2 cups of cauliflower (about 1 small head)
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 bay leaves
- Chopped cilantro or mint to garnish
- 1 lime or lemon
- Freshly ground black pepper to serve
Instructions
- Heat the oil and add in the cumin seeds and wait until the seeds begin to sizzle. Add in the onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and fragrant.
- Add in the red lentils, water, millet, salt, turmeric and red cayenne pepper and bring the soup to a simmer.
- Cook the soup for about 15 minutes, until the lentils are fairly soft.
- Add in the cauliflower and the red bell pepper and the bay leaves and cook for another 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. The soup should have a fairly loose consistency, add more water if needed.
- Stir in the chopped cilantro or mint.
- Cut the lime or lemon and squeeze in the juice.
- Serve with some grinds of fresh black pepper.
Meal Planning Week of 11/22/2020 - Spice Chronicles
[…] that need to be done tomorrow. When it comes to dal, red lentils are always the winner. Maybe make my millet, cauliflower, and red lentil soup. I have not done this in a while and it needs to be […]