Like mother, like son.

   Christopher might look like my husband, but he definitely inherited my palate. He is a very good eater (me!), he is willing to try everything (me!), and his favorite things to eat include meat, pickles, olives, fruit and soups (me, me, and me!!!). Oh and coo-coos (aka cookies), too. But seriously, ask my husband - Christopher and I could eat soups 24/7! We love Polish soups, American, Italian, Indian... you name it, we will eat it and it makes me super happy that now I have somebody to share my soup obsession with! With the weather getting colder (and with the rain we had for the last 8 days) we needed something warming, comforting and delicious, so what could be better than Indian-inspired red lentil soup. Full of spices, flavor and comfort. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

* 2 cups red lentils
* 1 16oz can diced tomatoes
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 large carrots, grated
* 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
* 2 tbsp vegetable oil
* 3 tbsp butter
* 1.5 tbsp mustard seeds
* 1.5 tbsp cumin seeds
* 2 tbsp turmeric powder
* 1 tbsp garam masala
* 1 tsp smoked paprika powder
* 1/4 tsp cinnamon
* 1/2 lemon, juiced
* 1 chicken bullion cube (optional)
* salt

* oyster crackers (optional)

Directions:

1. Wash the lentils at least 4-5 times, cover with excess water and let them soak for at least 2 hours.

2. In a large Dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil until almost smoking, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and cook for 1 minute, covered (to avoid all the oil splashing).

3. Add onions, garlic, carrots and cilantro and cook with a little bit of salt for 2-3 minutes (stirring). Add butter, turmeric powder, garam masala, smoked paprika, cinnamon,  bullion cube and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

4. Add around 6-7 cups of water, canned tomatoes (juice included), reduce heat and cook covered for 45 minutes, stirring from time to time.

5. Add lemon juice, adjust seasoning to your liking, cook for 2 more minutes and it's ready to serve. If you want to be rebellious you can serve it with oyster crackers!

   The recipe makes a huge pot of soup, but believe it or not, I wish I had more! Yes, it's that good! You don't really need the oyster crackers on the top, but my husband loves them and since he already "sacrificed" himself  and ate a soup for dinner, I wanted to reward him a little bit. It actually turned out pretty good and Christopher and I also put some crackers in our soup!

Enjoy,
Magda.