Recipe - Easy Vegetable Lentil Soup

Your favorite ff sauteeing
liquid
One half lg Onion, minced
1 md Red or green bell pepper,
minced
2 Stalks celery, minced
2 Cloves garlic, minced or
pressed
2 lg Carrots, minced
2 md Red potatoes, skins on,
minced
Three fourths cup Lentils, rinsed well and
drained
1 Brocolli stems, peeled and
minced (up to 2)
Three fourths cup Frozen corn (up to 1)
One half Chipotle pepper (dried not
canned) crushed (OPTIONAL)
1 cn (32oz) V8 juice (sodium
reduced works fine)
Salt and pepper to taste
Water or a lightlyflavored
vegetable broth
Vecon or other concentrated
vegetable bullion
(OPTIONAL)

In a very hot dutch oven (preferrably nonstick), heat the sauteeing
liquid, and saute the onion, red or green bell pepper and celery. Stir
often to avoid burning but let them caramelize. Once they begin to get
translucent, add the garlic, carrots, and brocolli stems. Saute for a few
minutes.

Add the rinsed, drained lentils, and One half cup v8 juice and One half cup water or
vegetable broth. OPTIONAL: add vegetable bullion at this point if desired.
Add salt and pepper to taste and a tiny pinch of the crushed chipotle
pepper. Note: You don't have to use salt at all...I use tiny bits of kosher
salt in this soup...no more than One fourth tsp for the entire recipe.

Let this mixture simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the minced potato and
frozen corn. Add 1 cup each v8 juice and water. Taste the mixture and add
more salt, pepper, and chipotle pepper.

Let this simmer for 10 minutes. You may need to add more liquid depending
on how thin you like the broth. The soup is done when lentils are cooked
but not mushy and potatoes are firm but not mushy.

Serve with homemade whole wheat bread.

Options: Use sweet potato in addition or instead of the red potato. Add 1/2
box frozen chopped spinach. Use tomato sauce instead of V8 juice.
Posted to fatfree digest V97 #005 by "Judith E. Thomas"
jethomas@mailbox.syr.edu on Feb 20, 1997.