Red Lentil Soup

It's official: the new year has started, it's back-to-work-week and the winter has finally reached Switzerland during the holidays as well. So I figured a soup would 1) be a great way to fight the chill after my way home and 2) help me get back to healthy yet satisfying eating habits. As you know, I am a reader of Gwyneth Paltrow's goop website. I don't follow her tips religiously, but I might take an idea here or there. And so I decided to try some of the recipes from this year's Detox newsletter instead of doing a whole cleanse. I simply don't have the time to get all that cooking in while working full-time. The first recipe I've tried is today's red lentil soup. I instantly liked the idea of brightening the earthy lentil flavour with lime juice and adding a spicy kick from ginger and curry. So here's the link to the recipe:
http://goop.com/recipes/red-lentil-soup/

And here's my step-by-step-guide.

1) Rinse 1 cup of red lentils and set aside. Cut 1 medium onion into fine slices. Mince 1 inch of ginger and slice two cloves of garlic. Mince 1 small handful cilantro stems. 

2) Heat two tablespoons of coconut oil (I substituted sunflower seed oil) in a saucepan over medium heat and sauté the onions for about 10 minutes until translucent and slightly brown.

3) Add the garlic, ginger, cilantro stems, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander and 1/2 teaspoon curry powder and sauté for two more minutes until fragrant.

4) Add the rinsed lentils and 4 cups of water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and let cook for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Gwyneth advises to stir frequently as the lentils tend to stick to the pot. Mine however didn't stick at all. 

5) Blend the soup, add the juice of 1 lime and check the seasoning. If you like your soup a little thinner, thin with water for reaching your desired consistency.

Active preparation time: about 10 minutes
Total preparation time: about 35 minutes
Serves: 3-4 (depending on the people you feed)

Here's what my soup looked like:

I really love the different flavours. It's what makes this soup interesting. The lime adds a beautiful zing that nicely balances the rather earthy flavour from the lentils. The curry and ginger add a little spiciness. This soup is well balanced without being boring and the creaminess makes it even more comforting. I served mine along some bread (which of course you wouldn't be allowed to have during detox week). 

I hope you are starting your new year in great spirits and have fun trying this warming treat!