Experience Nutrition

Tag: Lentil Soup

  • A New View of Healthy Eating: Daily Healthy Recipes by Melanie Albert: Quick Lentil Quinoa Sweet Potato Soup

    by Melanie A. Albert, intuitive cooking expert, author, speaker, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition Group, LLC

    A few days ago a friend asked me for some ideas to create plant-based protein meals. Interestingly, when I was teaching former NFL players how to cook, one of the first questions they asked me was: “Mel, will I have to stop eating meat?”. Well, I let them know that if they ate meat, they should eat clean meat. I also let the NFL guys know that there are some great sources of plant protein, including legumes (beans, lentils) and some whole grains, such as quinoa, which is a complete protein. Lentil quinoa soup is quick and easy, as both ingredients do not need to be pre-soaked.

    Today’s soup is one that I taught former Arizona Cardinal, John Bronson how to cook. Take a look at the photos in my book, “A New View of Healthy Eating,” of John enjoying learning how to make Lentil Quinoa Soup with lots of anti-inflammatory turmeric.

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     LENTIL QUINOA SWEET POTATO SOUP RECIPE

    SIMPLE INGREDIENTS

    • 1 cup lentils
    • 3-4 carrots and/or sweet potatoes, chopped
    • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
    • 1 onion or 5-6 green onions, minced
    • 3-4 celery stalks, chopped
    • 2 tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil
    • 5-inch strip of kombu seaweed, if desired
    • 1 cup brown rice or quinoa
    • 6-8 cups water
    • ½ tsp cumin seeds, hand-ground
    • 1 tsp black pepper
    • ½ bunch kale, torn or chopped into bite-size pieces

    Simple Steps to create your Lentil Quinoa Sweet Potato Soup

    • Step 1: Gather your mise en place.

     

    • Step 2: Heat large soup pot at medium-low, add onions and cumin seeds to pot, and sweat for 5 to 10 minutes.
    • Step 3: Add celery and carrots, and cook for about 5 minutes.
    • Step 4: Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.

     

    • Step 5: Add sweet potatoes to pot and cook for about 5 minutes.

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    • Step 6: Add ground turmeric to the pot.

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    • Step 7: Rinse lentils and quinoa and pour into pot.

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    • Step 8: Add about 8 cups of water to the pot.
    • Step 9: Bring soup to a boil.
    • Step 10: Lower to simmer and cook covered for about 30-45 minutes.

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    • Step 11: Enjoy. Today, I topped with fresh pea shoots for freshness.

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    If you’re interested in additional simple recipes, “A New View of Healthy Eating” is available.

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  • 9 Ways 90 Days Recipe: Organic Lentil Soup with Greens

    by Melanie Albert, Nutrition Expert & Author, Founder & CEO Experience Nutrition

    Excerpt from book, “Enjoy Food & Life. 9 Ways 90 Days Step-by-step action plan for healthy eating and living”

    This process of cooking soup gives us the foundation for making any type of bean soup. To make quick, delicious soups you will use a mix-and-match of beans, veggies and greens.

    •       Beans: protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals

    •       Any roots: Carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnip, and/or turnips

    •       Whole grains: Brown rice, Quinoa

    •       Greens: Kale, collards

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    Ingredients

    • 1 cup lentils
    • 3-4 carrots and/or sweet potatoes
    • 2-3 cloves garlic
    • 1 onion or 5-6 green onions
    • 3-4 celery stalks
    • 2 TBS organic extra virgin olive oil
    • 5” strip of kombu seaweed (Seaweed is high in minerals and improves digestibility of beans)
    • 1 cup brown rice
    • 4-5 cups water
    • 1/2 tsp cumin
    • 1 tsp black pepper
    • 1/2 bunch kale

     Simple Steps

    • Saute carrots, garlic, onions and celery with extra virgin olive oil
    • Add about 6 cups water to pot
    • Wash lentils and add to pot
    • Add brown rice
    • Add kombu to pot (to tenderize the beans)
    • Add cumin and black pepper
    • Bring to a boil
    • Skim off foam
    • Cook at moderate-low heat for about 30 minutes
    • Sprinkle chopped kale to top of soup and cook 5 more minutes

     Your Action

    Cook and enjoy a basic home-made lentil soup. Visit us on Facebook and share a photo and what you used in your soup:

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