Vegetarian Lentil Soup

A week ago or so, a friend and I were talking about ham bones, pork hocks and lentil soup recipes. She didn't know where to find some of these ingredients in the market, and since that day I have talked with others who also didn't know about these kinds of ingredients, their uses, and locations in a market. It seems that with our economy in shambles more and more women are looking for ways to cut costs in the kitchen, but aren't real sure about some of the ways to accomplish this goal. Since my husband and I experienced our first unemployment over 30 years ago, I learned early how to cook on a very lean budget, and I have been doing so ever since.

This soup is one of many recipes I have that uses lentils and is one of my husbands favorites. I will share other recipes over the next few weeks so that there will be a variety available to you. Also, ham hocks, salt pork, and ham bones are generally available in the meat section of the market near the hams, rather than the fresh pork. Blessings...

Recipe:

1 cup chopped onion
1-1/4 cups diced green or red pepper
1 cup sliced celery
1 lb. lentils, rinsed
1 can (16 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups peeled sliced carrots
1 tablespoon salt
2 tsp. Bouquet Garni
8 cups water
2-4 tablespoons olive oil

1. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven or soup kettle over low heat. Add onion and green pepper and saute' until soft. Watch carefully so the onion does not burn.
2. Add lentils, tomatoes, carrots, celery, salt, Bouquet Garni, and water.
3. Bring soup to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for about 1 hour. Stir soup on occasion so it does not stick.
4. Check soup for doneness by tasting some lentils for softness, and pierce a piece of celery and a carrot with a fork to make sure they are very tender. Also, the soup will get very thick as the lentils cook and soften, so you might want to add a little more water as it cooks. Continue cooking the soup until these ingredients are very tender, up to another hour depending on your stove.

Yield:  3 quarts
156 calories per cup
13 gms. fiber per cup

Tip: I have found that if you do not add the green pepper the taste is not hampered.
Also, lentils can be found with the dried beans