you may recall from my last post that i caught an ugly cold. well, friends, the cold is long gone, but i did catch something else: a fever for making soup. and the only cure? lentil curry soup.

before i started this blog, i had never made a soup from scratch. i had found my favorite canned soups (most are from amy’s), and i didn’t see a reason to mess with something that was working. besides, i thought soups would take hours of boiling, simmering, and chopping.

what i didn’t realize back then was that soups absolutely do not have to be difficult. they don’t have to simmer for hours, and there’s no more chopping than a regular stir fry. and homemade soups are SO amazing!

this soup is my current favorite – it is spicy, sweet, and creamy, plus it has a delicious texture of smoothness from the lentils and a little crunch from the carrots and green onions. and the smell of it cooking, oh the smell of it cooking! it’s amazing – the ginger, the curry powder – it’s enough to make someone burn their mouths, because waiting for the soup cool to a less-than-molten-lava temperature is nearly impossible.

so, as you can see, i feel slightly embarrassed that i rejected making homemade soup for this long. if you’re out there, reading this, and rejecting the idea of making soup from scratch, let this be your warning: you’re missing out!!

in case i have convinced you to make this, though, may i suggest a what to serve with it? we made fresh spring rolls – much like i wrote about here, but with roasted butternut squash, cilantro, pumpkin seeds, and noodles. fresh spring rolls are one of my favorite foods to make – they’re ridiculously easy to create, but this combo was a little bland. so that just means i’ll have to make more to pair with this soup the next time i make it…which will be soon, mark my words!

one year ago: banana black bean empanadas

lentil curry coconut soup

yields 6 servings
borrowed from 101cookbooks.com

• 1c yellow split lentils (moong dal), rinsed well
• 1c red split lentils (masoor dal), rinsed well
• 7c water
• 2T butter
• 1 carrot, diced
• 2T ginger, minced
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced
• 1/3c raisins
• 2T curry powder (or 1T curry powder and 1T red curry paste – i ran out of curry powder while making this soup – oops!)
• 1/3c tomato paste
• 14 oz coconut milk
• 2t salt
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1. put the rinsed lentils into a large pot, pour the 7c water over them, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20-30 mins
2. meanwhile, prep the rest of the ingredients as per the directions above
3. heat a frying pan over medium heat, then allow the butter to melt before adding the carrots, ginger, green onions, and raisins, and allowing to saute for about 2 minutes
4. add the curry powder and tomato paste to the frying pan, stir well to combine, and saute for 2 more minutes
5. add the frying pan mixture to the lentils along with the coconut milk and salt
6. allow to simmer for another 15 minutes, adding more water if it gets too thick
7. enjoy with spring rolls or rice or alone!

there are few things that i miss eating as a vegetarian, mostly because i don’t like the taste of meat. (mini emilie vegetarian history is here.) chicken noodle soup is one of the few foods i still crave. i’ve found some other delicious soups, like kitchari, black bean soup, lentil dal, and of course the tasty minestrone, but none of these has ever replaced the classic chicken noodle soup, especially when i am feeling under the weather. which is exactly how i felt this weekend.

so what’s a girl to do? i hunkered down with some cookbooks and discovered the perfect solution – chickpea noodle soup with miso in the broth. i swear that this soup is the one reason why i’m out of bed, have my voice back, and am only going through half a box of kleenex a day now (i wish i was kidding). even though these pics are from my iphone, and thus not super beautiful (yes, i was sick enough that i actually didn’t document the process!), don’t let this fool you. the soup has amazing curative powers,* all the classic chicken soup elements, and a rich, hearty aroma that breaks through even the most congested nose. so when you’re feeling icky, whip this up, put on a movie, and enjoy!

*not an fda approved statement

one year ago: coconut lime cinnamon rice

chickpea noodle soup

yields 6 generous bowls
adapted from veganomicon

• 2T olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
• 2 stalk celery, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 dozen (approx) cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1t dried thyme
• 1/2t dried rosemary, chopped or crushed
• 1/2t pepper
• 6c broth (i love rapunzel bouillon)
• 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/3c brown rice miso
• 6oz soba noodles, broken in half
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1. heat olive oil in large pan over medium heat, then saute onion, carrots, celery for 10 minutes
2. add garlic, mushrooms, thyme, rosemary, and pepper, sauteing for 5 more minutes
3. add broth and chickpeas, and bring the soup to a boil, stirring well
4. once the soup is boiling, add the miso and mix in well
5. then, add the soba noodles and simmer 15 minutes
6. serve immediately and enjoy!

i feel like i start most posts by professing my love for some type of food, and i’d like to start this one differently….actually, no, i don’t think i can begin without speaking of my love for minestrone soup. it’s one of the first soups i can recall eating, and it brings back memories of cozy rainy winter afternoons, steaming soup bowls, and crunchy sourdough toast that i ate alongside and dipped into the broth.

despite my profound love for minestrone, i’ve never made or eaten a homemade version, so when i saw a quick 30 minute version in vegetarian times last month, the ingredients went right onto my grocery list. since then, i’ve made this soup every week, enjoying the leftovers as much as (if not more than!) the first round of soup right off the stove.

while this soup isn’t a classic minestrone – the vegetables are still a bit crunchy, and there’s no lima beans (to me, the former is a plus, but the latter is a bit of a negative, as i love lima beans) – it’s decidedly delicious, savory, and hits the spot every time.

that’s not to say that i didn’t experiment with the recipe a bit, though, so below i’ll include the original, quick 30 minute instructions, as well as an optional addition of barley. the barley creates a heartier soup, but doubles the cooking time – so add the barley if you’re enjoying a leisurely evening at home, not if you want a speedy dinner. either way, you can’t go wrong with this savory soup!

one year ago: pesto pizza

minestrone soup

yields about 5 servings
adapted from vegetarian times

• 1T olive oil
• 1t dried basil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 carrots, sliced into circles
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 8oz sun dried tomatoes, drained and sliced
• 15oz white beans, rinsed and drained
• 4c water
• 1c frozen peas
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2T vinegar
• **optional – 1c barley and 2c water
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1. heat oil in large pan over medium heat
2. add basil, onion, carrots, celery, and garlic, sauteeing for 5 minutes
3. add sun dried tomatoes, and allow to saute for 5 more minutes
4. add beans and water , bring to a boil, and then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes
5. (if you’re using barley, add it now, plus the extra 2c of water, and allow to simmer for 30 minutes instead of 10)
6. add peas, salt and pepper to taste, and allow to simmer for 5 more minutes
7. stir in vinegar and serve with toast and some slices of cheese, if desired

full disclosure to you, internet: mike and i weren’t looking for a black bean soup recipe when we found this one, nor have we ever made black bean soup before. we just wanted to make some cornbread, and figured we had to eat something else alongside the cornbread to make it a complete meal.

so when we stumbled across this recipe in a favorite cookbook, we decided to try it, but we weren’t expecting much. but, oh, this recipe! it’s absolutely scrumptious! it’s a finish the entire bowl, feel full and satiated, and yet still want more soup. it has the perfect amount of spice, savoriness, and creaminess from blending most of the soup together. i love thick soups, but don’t like using dairy or a thickening agent (cornstarch, flour, etc) to obtain the ideal consistency. conversely, i love using a simple immersion blender (that’s moved with me from my davis years on – i’m attached to it!) to blend the rich flavors already existing in a soup you simmer for 30 minutes.

while the black bean soup’s awesomeness was a complete surprise to us, the cornbread wasn’t a surprise at all – it’s a stand-by dish that turns out delicious every time. i copied this recipe from my mom’s recipe box on one of my first trips home from davis about 10 years ago, and have followed her lead of making it with soup as soon as the weather starts getting chilly (and i overcome my denial that the seasons are actually turning). the best thing about the combination of these two dishes – besides forming a complete protein – is that they take just about the same time to make. once the soup has reached its simmering point,  mix together the cornbread, put it in the oven, and voila, a yummy, hearty, and wintery two-part dinner will be ready at almost exactly the same time. enjoy!

black bean soup

adapted from the one-dish vegetarian: 100 recipes for quick and easy vegetarian meals, by maria robbins
yields 6 servings

• 2T olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 8 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2t red pepper flakes
• 1t cumin
• 4c water
• 4 15oz cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
  
• 2 vegetarian bouillon cubes
• salt and pepper to taste
• limes, cilantro, and salsa to garnish
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1. heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat
2. saute the onions for 2 minutes, until translucent
3. add celery, carrots, and garlic, sauteing for 2 more minutes
4. add red pepper flakes, cumin, water, bouillon cubes, and black beans
5. bring the pot up to a simmer, cover the pan, and simmer for 30 minutes (this is when you should start making the cornbread!)
   
6. scoop 2c of the beans, carrots, celery, and onions out of the pan and into a small bowl
7. use an immersion blender (or pour into a regular blender) and puree until the soup is thick
8. add the reserved veggies and beans back into the soup and season with salt and pepper to taste
   
9. serve with cilantro, limes, and salsa (and cornbread, if you wish)
   

cornbread

yields 9-16 pieces, depending upon how you slice it

• 1c flour
• 1/4c sugar
• 1/2t baking soda
• 1/2t baking powder
• 1/2t salt
• 1c cornmeal
• 1c (soy) milk
• 1 egg
• 1/3c butter, melted
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1. preheat oven to 350º and grease an 8″ x 8″ pan
2. combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cornmeal together in a mixing bowl
3. add soy milk and egg and stir to combine, then add melted butter and stir until completely combined
4. pour into greased pan and bake for 30 minutes, until the cornbread springs back when pressed off-center or a toothpick comes out clean

i immediately thought of this recipe for dal, which we made last week and thoroughly enjoyed. while i’ve eaten dal many times at indian and sri lankan restaurants, i’ve barely noticed its flavor, as it is often very mild and subtly compliments the other dishes with added nourishment. this variation is quite a bit different, however, as it begins with onions and red pepper flakes, and packs tons of flavor into each bite. we served this flavorful dish with basmati rice and salad to bring both veggies and a non-spicy element into the meal. whether you serve this dish with rice and salad, or flatbread, or couscous, or eat it all on its own, i’m sure you’ll enjoy it throughout the fall and winter!

lentil dal

adapted from vegetarian times, october 2009
yields 8 servings

• 2T canola oil
• 2t ground cumin
• 1½t red pepper flakes
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1t salt
• 1½c yellow lentils (might be called moong dal at your grocery store), sorted and rinsed
• 2c vegetable broth
• 2c water
• 1t turmeric
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1. heat oil in large pan over medium heat
2. add cumin and red pepper flakes and saute for 1 minute
3. add onion, garlic, and salt, and saute 3-5 minutes, or until translucent
4. add lentils, vegetable broth, water, and turmeric to pan and bring to a simmer
5. reduce the heat to low, cover, and allow to simmer for 25 minutes, or until lentils are tender and most of the water is absorbed, stirring frequently
6. serve with 2c basmati rice (this will make enough to go with the 8 servings of this dish), or salad, or flatbread, or couscous, and enjoy!

but this soup is so light and so flavorful that you will want to slurp up as much of it as possible, leaving you wondering why you thought you were sick of tomatoes or questioning making soup when it’s warm out!

this soup is from the amazing veganomicon, which if you haven’t heard of is a vegetarian/vegan’s bible. although i’m not strictly vegan, i really enjoy recipes that don’t rely heavily on dairy to be vegetarian. don’t get me wrong, my norwegian heritage fuels my love for all cheeses, but i don’t like to eat dairy in every single meal – everything in moderation, right?

in order to avoid the dairy-full vegetarian recipes, i often rely heavily on vegan cookbooks, and although i sub cheese or sour cream for the fake stuff when it calls for dairy items, vegan meals allow for so much creativity with protein sources.

this soup is creamy, but contains no dairy or fake dairy – what it calls for is removing 2 cups of the veggies, then pureeing the rest with an immersion blender to instantly make a creamy soup. ingenious! i hope you are all enjoying the end of the summer and harvest season – and that you have more ripe veggies because i’ve got one more post in this series!

corn chowder

adapted from veganomicon

• 3T olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 4 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 6 ears corn, husked and kernels cut off the cob
• 8c vegetable broth
• 1 pound tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1/3c fresh basil, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
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1. heat a large soup pot over medium heat, pour in oil and then saute the garlic for 30 seconds
2. add the onions, and allow to saute 5 minutes
3. add the carrot and celery, and allow to cook for 2 minutes
4. add the potato and cook for 4 minutes
5. add the corn and cover and allow to cook for 5 minutes
6. add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes
7. take the pot off the burner and  ladle (with a skimmer or slotted spoon) out 2 cups of the vegetables into a bowl
8. use an immersion blender to puree the soup until it looks creamy and vegetable pieces are small
9. place the pot on the heat again, and add the vegetables in the bowl back in, along with the tomatoes and basil
10. simmer for 10 minutes, or until soup is hot, then serve and enjoy!

after making red (ie normal) gazpacho a few weeks ago, i was excited when i found a recipe for white gazpacho – a real twist on the normal kind – in the september issue of vegetarian times.

as i read the recipe more thoroughly, i was pleasantly surprised to see that this version of gazpacho is almost ridiculously quick and easy to make. you simply have to measure some grapes, almonds, almond milk, vinegar, and olive oil, then roughly chop onions and cucumber, throwing all of the ingredients into the blender as you go. in think we had the whole dish ready to go in less than 15 minutes – which rivals my other fastest recipe of all time, chick pea tacos.

before i get too carried away with the speed at which this recipe comes together, let me assure you that i enjoy making recipes that take a long time to simmer and bake. but on a weekday night after a long day at work and then a swim or run at the gym, mike and i treasure the recipes that are almost effortless.

all effortless and speediness of this recipe aside, it’s absolutely delicious. even if it took a lot longer to make, i would still take the time for this one. the almonds give a heartiness to the soup that’s lacking in regular gazpacho, and the grapes and cucumber add a nice touch of sweetness as a counterpart to the bitter arugula. to complement the other flavors, the onions and vinegar balance the sweet and creamy with some tang. and, for all of you top chef masters groupies out there (the link has a major spoiler alert – please don’t click if you haven’t watched the last episode!), the week that we made this hubert keller made white gazpacho during a competition. how exciting! do you need any more reasons to make this soup?!?

white gazpacho

adapted from vegetarian times
yields 6 servings

• 1/2 chopped red onion
• 1¾c green seedless grapes, divided
• 1 large cucumber, peeled and seeded
• ¾c slivered almonds, divided
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/4c almond milk (soy, rice, or dairy would prob work just as well)
• 2T white vinegar
• 1T olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1c arugula
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1. blend onion, 1½c grapes (the rest will be garnish), cucumber, ½c almonds (the rest will be garnish), and garlic in blender or food processor until smooth
2. add milk, vinegar, and oil, and continue to blend until smooth, then season with salt and pepper
3. pour gazpacho evenly into four bowls, then halve the remaining grapes and garnish with them and the remaining almonds
4. divide arugula between bowls and serve with hearty bread

for my birthday, i received some amazing new cookbooks from my friends and family – they obviously know me very well. since i was gifted the cookbooks, i’ve been perusing through the influx of recipes, trying to decide which dish to make first. since it’s the height of the summer season, i quickly landed on gazpacho as a first recipe to sample from fields of greens, by annie somerville.

i had never made gazpacho, but i enjoyed it when other people made it for me, and i figured that it would be a good way to use fresh ripe tomatoes. when i decided to use roma tomatoes instead of the much larger vine-ripened tomatoes the recipe suggests, i had no idea how much time i would be spending to prepare each tomato. it was quite time consuming, and halfway through the recipe, after coring, blanching, peeling, halving, seeding, and dicing tomatoes, i started thinking mean things about tomatoes, debating whether i would ever eat another one after this recipe was complete.

as soon as i got to the blending part, however, i immediately overcame my grudging feelings about tomatoes, and got excited about eating some soup!

most of the gazpacho i’ve had before was completely blended, leaving you wondering if you should be slurping it with a straw or using a spoon to consume the food. this gazpacho, however, has lots of beautiful chunks of cucumber, tomatoes, and onions, however, which i think takes a standard gazpacho recipe to the next level.

so while the tomatoes are still ripe, i suggest you go out and get a bunch (but not romas – make sure they’re big!), and make this delicious soup, which is perfect with a salad and some good bread on a warm summer evening. enjoy!

gazpacho

adapted from fields of greens, by annie somerville
yields 6 servings

• 1 medium cucumber
• 5lbs vine ripened (not roma!!) tomatoes
• 1/2 medium red onion
• 2 jalapeno chili (watch out for those seeds!)
• 1/4c fresh basil
• 2T white vinegar
• 2t fresh lime juice
• salt and pepper to taste
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1. boil water in a large pan
2. wash and core tomatoes, then place into the boiling water for 1-2 minutes, until the skins begin to crack
3. pull the tomatoes out of the boiling water using a slotted spoon or skimmer, and rinse under cold water
4. peel the skins off of the tomatoes, then slice them in half
5. place a strainer over a large bowl, and squeeze out the juice and seeds of the tomato, allowing all seeds to fall into the strainer (discard them after you’ve gone through all the tomatoes), and the bowl to catch the juices
6. place half of the tomatoes in a blender or food processor and blend until pureed, pouring the puree into the large bowl with the tomato juices
7. dice the other half of the tomatoes and place them into the bowl with the puree and juices
8. peel and seed the cucumber, then chop and place in the large bowl
9. finely dice the onion, chili, and basil, and add to the soup
10. add the  vinegar and lime juice along with salt and pepper to taste
11. stir the soup and allow to chill in the fridge for at least an hour, so all flavors are well mixed

recently, a good friend sent me an article from cnn.com with ideas for $10 meals and challenged me to “better and more vegetarian friendly version.”  so i am responding to the challenge with my own twist on saving money in the food realm, because i got frustrated quantifying how much money i spent on a specific meal, mostly since i pull lots of ingredients from my stocked cupboard (spices, flours, bouillon cubes, canned beans, etc).  let’s just say this post was inspired by the article above, but does not direct speak to it…and i promise to hone my pricing skills and get back to you.

ok, so as i sidestep the challenge and share some of my humble tips to keep food costs down to save as much money as possible, as well as reduce the amount of food waste we produce each week, please keep in mind that you have to do what works for you and your life.

i start out by sitting down on sunday and writing out a menu plan for the week.  i write down what outside events we have going on, and count how many meals we need to make to cover lunches and dinners from sunday night through friday lunch (we almost always eat out on friday and saturday nights).  i then start flipping through my recipe box and cookbooks and mike and i discuss what sounds good for the week – because if you’re not going to enjoy the food, what’s the point in cooking it?  we try to vary the proteins, veggies, and starches to create a well-balanced menu as we pick and choose what we want to make.  we also often try to finish off partially used perishables with the recipes we select as well (for example, if we make a prepared-pesto topped pizza one week and didn’t use all the pesto, we’ll choose a recipe that can use up all the leftover pesto the next week). once we’ve settled on several dinners, i ensure that the number of servings they will make matches the number of meals we need so that nothing is wasted.  then i write up the grocery list and voila, we’re ready to go for the week.

planning aside, i always go to the store with a semi-full stomach so i don’t do lots of impulse shopping.  at the grocery store, i try to buy as many items as possible out of the bulk bins, so i leave with the right amount of beans, grains, nuts, spices, etc, so i don’t end up with random dribs and drabs of leftover food we probably won’t consume. the bulk bins also have the least expensive breakfast cereals, chocolate chips (which i need to have on hand at all times!), flour, and sugar.  yay for bulk!

also, if we get our act together on saturday morning, we head down to the farmer’s market where produce is much cheaper (and locally grown!), which reduces our food costs, keeps us eating seasonal food, and inspires recipes.

i think the biggest change i have made overall is that with careful meal planning, we now make less dinners overall. instead, we make a few big meals that can be reheated throughout the week.  i think it’s it’s always cheaper to make food in large quantities, and it saves a lot of time on weeknights if we make some big meals on the weekends and reheat as available.  i know this isn’t an original idea, but it’s a huge shift in the way i used to approach dinners, and i think it’s been the main contributor to our lower grocery bills.

with that in mind, the recipe i would like to share with you is called wild chick soup, from eat, drink, and be vegan, and it makes about 6-7 servings in one pot. the soup is full of veggies, plus wild rice and chick peas, creating the clever title and make the soup as hearty as i remember chicken noodle being way back when i still ate meat.  there are also lots of herbs and nutritional yeast involved, which will fill the house with warm aromas as it boils.  a bowl of this with a slice of warm, crunchy toast is very satisfying on a cold winter day – and won’t hurt the pocketbook much either!

wild chick soup

adapted from eat, drink, and be vegan
yields 6 servings

• 1T olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 4 stalks of celery, ends trimmed and sliced
• 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2c uncooked wild rice
• 1/4t salt
• 1/4t pepper
• 1t dry mustard
• 1t dried thyme
• 1t dried sage
• 3½c cooked or caned chick peas
• 4c vegetable stock (we use bouillon cubes)
• 3c water
• 2 bay leaves
• 2T nutritional yeast
• 2T fresh sage, minced
• more salt and pepper to taste
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1. heat oil in a large pot over medium heat and add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, wild rice, salt, pepper, mustard, thyme, sage, and stir for 5 minutes
2. add 2½c chickpeas (save 1c!), stock, water, and bay leaves and bring everything to a boil
3. once the mixture is boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 50 minutes, or until rice is fully cooked
4. with a hand blender, pulse the soup 5(ish) times to create a thicker texture (i under did the pulsing because i was afraid i’d lose the large pieces of veggies and texture of the rice, but once i sampled i went back and re-pulsed – don’t be afraid to pulse away!)
5. stir in the 1c chick peas, nutritional yeast, and fresh sage, and cook 5 minutes longer
6. serve your bowl full and save the rest for later meals!

after my first foray with making a soup from scratch at home, i began avidly looking for more soup recipes to create in my own kitchen. i landed on a lentil soup from the amazing cookbook eat, drink, and be vegan, by dreena burton, and immediately whipped up a large pot of the thick and homey soup.

when i made the lentil soup a few weeks ago, the clocks had just changed to pacific standard time, the days were dark, cold, and rainy, and this soup was our lifeline, keeping us warm and cozy for three meals (it made six servings total).

i don’t know about the temperature in your neck of the woods, but here in santa cruz, the temperature has turned unseasonably warm this week, to the point of wearing summer clothes again. so i’m sitting here in my living room with our sliding door open to let in the warm breeze, and trying to think of great adjectives to describe how this soup heated up our whole home as we made it, and was the perfect fall/winter meal – and i’m failing miserably, because nothing sounds appetizing right now except for a cool, crisp salad. don’t you think it’s interesting how much the seasons and temperatures affect our eating desires?

so when the weather remembers that it’s mid-november again, i suggest you pull out this recipe…but until then, i’d hold off on making this yummy soup. if you can, try to make the soup a day before you consume it, because adding over two tablespoons of vinegar after the soup has boiled down made the soup quite strong and sharp the first night we ate it. over time the vinegar taste mellowed and became much more enjoyable.

mellow lentil “sniffle” soup

adapted from eat, drink, and be vegan by dreena burton
yields 8 servings

• 1½T olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1c celery, diced
• 1c carrots, diced
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2t salt (you may need to add more to taste at the end)
• 1/2t pepper (you may need to add more to taste at the end)
• 1t curry powder
• 1t paprika
• 1t rosemary
• 2c dry red lentils
• 3c vegetable stock
• 4c water
• 2½T apple cider vinegar
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1. add oil to a large pot on medium heat
2. add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, salt, pepper, curry, paprika, and rosemary, stirring to combine
3. cover and cook for 8 minutes, stirring once or twice
4. meanwhile, rinse the lentils, and add them plus the stock and water
5. increase heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes, until lentils are completely softened (our lentils disintegrated a bit, making the consistency much like split pea soup)
6. stir in vinegar and season to taste with additional salt and pepper and enjoy!