Back to Our Regular Programming – A Simple Lunch for Two

We are back at home and settling into our old routine and cooking habits after weeks of indulgences at my parents house.

Since the husband works from home, and I am still on maternity leave, we share a lunch of salad or soup with a sandwich on the side. I am a huge fan of soups of all kinds, since they are quick to make (especially if you have a pressure cooker), tasty and generally pretty healthy. With the addition of fresh herbs and/or spices, you can turn pretty much anything on hand into a soup(yes, probably even Nutella!)

Today, was a leek and red lentil dahl which turned out reliably tasty, with the perfect amount of spicy and lots of cilantro. Being borderline obsessive about nutrients, I added some fresh veggetable in form of leeks, which i substituted for onions. My obsession, by the way is a futile attempt to right the wrongs caused by my uncontrolled chocolate consumption, and it is in that spirit, that I recommend adding fresh vegetables or herbs to a soup with dried benas or lentils. The vitamin C in fresh produce helps the iron contained in the legumes (I know, I am a total show-off for using the smartypantsword “legumes” to talk about dried beans, peas and lentils of all kinds!) to be absorbed by your body – This fun fact brought to you courtesy of every german midwife I encountered in my two pregnancies!

Leek and Red Lentil Dahl

Prep Time: 10 min cooking time: 15 min

2 tbsp of olive oil
3/4 cup (100 g) red lentils
1 cup (250 ml) water
1 small leek, cleaned and thinly sliced
1/2 tsp curcuma
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp mustard powder
2 small dried chilies (or more)
fresh cilantro ( I used about 1/4 cup for 2 servings)
salt to taste

1 medium sized saucepan / stockpot

Grind all the spices together in a mortar or an electric grinder. Heat up the olive oil in a stockpot and fry up the spices at medium heat until they fragrant.

Add the thinly sliced leek and the lentils and cook, stirring for a few more minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil. Cover and let it simmer on reduced heat for about 10 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
Add salt and garnish with the cilantro.