RED LENTIL CARROT SOUP

Even though the warmer weather has started, I still like to make soup for lunches. This lentil carrot soup has a wonderful flavour with curry powder and ginger added to it. One could have also added cumin to the soup but I didn't. The apple adds some sweetness to the taste. I used fresh ginger as I have some on hand. I didn't add any parsley or cilantro as a garnish based on pure laziness. I added a can of light coconut milk. 

The soup is lighter in colour than how it looks in the photo. The soup was so good the DH had two bowls. 

INGREDIENTS:

1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp fresh minced ginger or 1 tsp powdered dry ginger
1 cup red lentils, rinsed
2 large size carrots, peeled, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 apple, peeled, cored, chopped
5 - 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

1 cup of coconut or almond milk
chopped parsley or cilantro as a garnish 

DRIECTIONS:

Using the Stove:
Heat the oil in a soup pot to high on the stove. Add the onions, reduce the heat to medium and sauté for five minutes. Stir the onions so that they don't stick or burn. 

Add the curry powder and ginger and sauté for another minute and stir. Add the rest of the ingredients except the coconut milk.  

Cover the pot with a lid and heat to high. Once it boils, reduce the heat to low or simmer and cook for 45 to 60 minutes until all of the vegetables are soft and the lentils are cooked.

Using an immersion blender puree the soup. You can also transfer the soup to a regular blender and puree it. If doing that you can add it back to the pot once pureed. Add the coconut milk, stir and add more salt and or pepper to taste. Garnish the soup bowls with parsley or cilantro. Serves five to six.

Using the Electric Pressure Cooker: 

Choose the sauté feature (high) on the electric pressure cooker. Add the oil and once it is hot, add the onions and sauté for five minutes. Stir the onions so that they don't stick or burn. 

Add the curry powder and ginger and sauté for another minute and stir. Cancel/stop the sauté feature. 

Add the rest of the ingredients except the coconut milk. Close the lid of the pressure cooker, select the pressure cooker button and cook for 15 minutes on medium high. I like to cook soups with beans for at least 15 minutes. Some cooks use less time. I choose automatic pressure release instead of manual. If using a manual release where it vents gradually, you could probably cook it for closer to 10 minutes than 15. 

Once the pressure is released, open the lid and stir the soup. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. You can also transfer the soup to a regular blender and puree it. If doing that you can add it back to the pot once pureed. Add the coconut milk, stir and add more salt and or pepper to taste. Garnish the soup bowls with parsley or cilantro. Serves five to six.

Modified from kitchen treaty.com

PALEO POPPY SEED LEMON LOAF

Recently I bought a cookbook called "The Plant Paradox" by Steven Gundry. It has a number of interesting recipes. All of the recipes are gut friendly and lectin-free. The cookbook includes some great looking food and includes a variety of different foods. This recipe is from the cookbook.

This poppy seed loaf looked good and the DH asked if I would make this recipe. One ingredient that I hadn't used before is erythritol. It is a natural sweetener and doesn't spike your blood sugar. You can bake with it. It is sometimes sold under the brand name Swerve. I bought the sweetener just as erythritol and found it at the local health food store. Instead of using a loaf pan I used a round cake pan. For the lemon juice and zest I did something a bit different. Last fall I had a large bag of lemons which were not getting used and I didn't want to let them spoil. I grated the lemons to get the zest and combined the zest with the pulp of the lemons in the food processor. I pureed it and froze the mixture in ice cube trays. Once they froze I transferred them to a freezer bag. I have been using these frozen lemon cubes in recipes that call for juice and zest.

The loaf turned out fine and tastes good. Using almond flour and coconut flour creates a different texture to the loaf than using wheat flour but it holds together and is a good alternative to wheat flour.

Batter in the cake pan ready to go into the oven.

Just out of the oven.

Ready to sample.

Another angle to see the loaf slice.

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 cups almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

3 eggs
1/2 cup erythritol or Swerve (brand name)
1/4 cup avocado oil
juice from 3 lemons
zest of 2 lemons
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp poppy seeds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flours, salt and soda.
4. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk the eggs and then add the erythritol, lemon juice and zest, coconut milk and vanilla extract. Whisk the wet ingredients and combine well.
5. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine well.  Fold in the poppy seeds. 
6. Transfer to the lined loaf pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
7. Let cool for a few minutes before removing the loaf to a cooling rack. It can be served warm or at room temperature. Makes 6 to 8 servings.