Recipe #4: Roasted Garlic and Lentil Soup

This is one of my very favourite soups, and we've made it several times over the past few months. If you like lentils and rice, then this soup will be heaven for you! :)

Ingredients
- 10 small tomatoes (or 5 med tomatoes; the smaller, the faster they're ready)
- 10 cloves of garlic
- olive oil
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (this is a must)
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp crushed fennel seeds (if available)
- 1 tsp ground ginger (I just shave fresh ginger with cheese grater)
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg (I usually add more)
- 1 cup red or brown rice (uncooked)
- 3 cups vegetable stock (I use the bouillon cubes)
- 1 can (540ml) lentils with liquid

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celcius)
2. Combine tomatoes, cloves of garlic, 2 tbsp oil, and rosemary in a pie plate. Bake for 30-40 minutes (until tomatoes and garlic are soft). Let sit to cool down.
3. In a large saucepan, heat 1-2 tbsp vegetable oil over medium heat. Add onion, and fry for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally (until onion is soft).
4. Add cumin, fennel, ginger, nutmeg, and rice. Stir constantly for 1 minute, then add 2 cups (500 ml) of vegetable stock, and bring it all to a boil. Cover, reduce to low, and simmer for 30-40 minutes (until rice is tender).
5. When tomatoes & garlic have cooled down a little, pour them into a blender, along with remaining vegetable stock. Blend until smooth (1-2 minutes) on medium or high.
6. Add all of this to soup in saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1-2 minutes (until heated through).
I would suggest to add a little bit more water or vegetable stock, especially if you're going to store some of this in the fridge, as it will dry up somewhat while it is being stored. That being said, this doesn't necessarily have to be a soup - it can just be a rice/lentil meal, and it is just as good. Also, I sprinkled some cayenne pepper and fresh rosemary on top of the soup before serving.

I am so in love with this soup, so if you try it, let me know if you love it just as much! :)



Recipe idea from "125 Best Vegetarian Recipes" by Byron Ayanoglu