Thai inspired soup ~ Red pepper, red lentil, carrots....

 

 

This soup is adapted from jillyinspired's website, I bumped into it while visiting Foodgawker.  I really liked reading about the twist of spices and flavors in this soup, but the color is what really caught my eye. And the use of cinnamon and ginger instead of cumin intrigued me. Hmmm, how would it be for a savory soup?  It turned out great and it's really a delicious little soup.  Plus you don't really detect the cinnamon, more of a warmth than anything else, not that I don't love cinnamon, but think of it more for desserts.  I did add a pinch of red pepper at the end of cooking, thought that would help with any hint of sweetness.  So it has a bit of a kick to it, but it's not overpowering at all.

And this soup is really easy to make, so that gets lots of points in my book. Oh,  it's also low fat and low in calories, a nice little bonus.

Here's the recipe:

1&1/4 cup of red lentils (I used Goya)
1 cup of carrots, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 large red pepper
1 Tablespoon of grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 T. canola oil (I used grapeseed)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
1 jalepeno pepper, small diced
4 cups of chicken stock
1/3 cup of coconut milk (I use TJ's light)
1/2 fresh lime juice

Roast pepper either in oven at 450 F., for 15 minutes or under the broiler for 5 to 10 minutes.  Place in plastic baggie and set aside.  After it cools, peel skin off pepper and chop.

In a large dutch oven, sauté the onions and carrots on medium low heat for about 5 minutes.  Stir, every once in a while, you don't want the onions to brown, just wilt.  Add the jalapeno pepper, stir and cook for 1 more minute.  Add four cups of chicken stock, bring to a boil and turn down to low.  Add lentils, red pepper and ginger and cinnamon, stir and cover for about 25 to 30 minutes.  Take off stove, stir and let cool for ten minutes.  Use an immersion blender to make the soup as smooth as you like.  Add 1/3 cup coconut milk and stir.  Squeeze in the juice of 1/2 lime at the end of cooking.  Let sit for 5 minutes and adjust seasonings.

I'm joining the lovely gals over on Foodie Friday today....