Spicy Lentil Soup

I came up with this soup purely by experimentation. It was a crowd pleaser and super easy to make. I had a guest coming over and I had to work with ingredients I had in the house.

Cook 1 cup of dried lentils in a sauce pan. (I usually add 2 cups at first and then add more water as needed. It generally takes around 25-30 minutes to cook the lentils. Let nearly all of the water dry out. 

In the meantime....saute the following in a soup pot until the veggies are soft and start to caramelize: 

1/2 sweet onion - chopped

1 red bell pepper - chopped

1 jalepeno pepper (remove seeds) - chopped

2 heaping tablespoons of crushed garlic

a few good shakes of coarse ground pepper

a couple of good shakes of seasoning salt

a few good shakes of red pepper flakes

a few good shakes of extra virgin olive oil

In a food processor add the following and blend until creamy: 

the cooked lentils

the sauteed mixture

2 cups of water

three shakes of cumin

1 good size pinch of turmeric

3 or 4 good size pinches of curry masala

2 teaspoons of vegan chicken bouillon powder

a couple of dashes of tamari

a few more shakes of coarse ground pepper

Pour the blended mixture into the soup pot and simmer for 10 minutes. 

Serve in a bowl with slices of avocado on top. Makes 4 good-size bowls. 

Lentil Hummus

I just came up with this recipe for SPICY lentil hummus. I've never actually heard of hummus made from lentils, but I went for it anyway. Mmmmm, mmmm - cheap and yummy!!

First -
Cook one cup dry lentil with a few cups of water.
Cook on medium high.
If the water is absorbed before the lentils are fully cooked, then add more water. Don't go crazy with the water.
Once all the water is absorbed and the lentils are soft, put aside to cool down.

Second -
In a food processor add the following:
a hefty scoop of crushed garlic
one or two hot peppers (take out the seeds unless you're a MAJOR spice fiend)
a few shakes of cumin
a couple of shakes of all spice
a few big shakes of seasoning salt
grind in some pepper
grind in some sea salt
5 or 6 good size shakes of paprika
4 small shakes of Indian Spices (I used two shakes of two different types - Masala blends)
around 1/4 cup tahini
scoop in the cooked lentils
lemon juice (add until you get the balance right)
olive oil (add until you get the balance right)

Blend until creamy. If the hummus is too thick, add more olive oil. If the hummus seems flat in flavor, add more lemon juice. Additional salt might be required, but if you plan on using salty chips, you might want to lay off the excessive salt.

Try your hummus as you go until you get the flavor you like. Don't double dip your chip!!

Keep in mind that the flavor will be brought out as it cools in the fridge.