Winter is my favorite time of the year, the cold weather makes us all want to have something warm and comforting, not too mention the weather sometimes makes us lazy ! So why not cook up something easy?  For me winter is the time for one pot soups and stews,  and one such recipe my family loves is lentil and chicken soup. I absolutely love to curl up on the couch, with a good movie and enjoy this comforting warm bowl of  soup.

If you are vegan/vegetarian then you may skip the chicken and replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock or water.

Ingredients

2 tbs of avocado oil (or any other cooking oil you use )

1 large carrot small diced

1 stem celery small diced

1 yellow onion small diced

3 cloves of garlic chopped

1 cup orange lentils washed thoroughly

1 bay leaf

3 chicken thigh chopped in bite size pieces

1 large tomato diced

4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock

2 cups of water

1tsp of cumin powder

1tsp of smoked paprika powder

cilantro for garnish

salt to taste

Heat oil in a dutch oven or a pot over a medium flame. Add onions, celery and carrots,  sautéing  until the onion is translucent. Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds, then add the chicken  and lentils and sauté on a medium high flame for about a minute. Add Bay leaf, cumin powder, paprika powder, tomato, salt to taste , stock and water.  Bring it to a gentle boil and then simmer covered for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the lentils are completely cooked. To serve I quickly fry up left over tortillas in hot oil until they are crisp and top the soup with it. Also fresh cilantro seals the deal and adds a lot of flavor. enjoy !

It was a lovely holiday time with family and friends. I always get a little sad when the holidays end, but it is time to pack up the decorations and get back to routine.

It has been raining past two days, and apart from the fact that we really need the rain here, I would not shy away from admitting  I absolutely love the rains. Perfect day to make some  soup and take a break from all the indulgence of the holiday foods.

Minestrone soup is one such soup; lite, flavorful and filled with vegetables. One of the  best things about this soup is you can keep it gluten free by keeping the pasta out of the recipe, and keep it vegan by keeping the cheese out. You may bulk up the recipe with more vegetables of your choice.

Ingredients

2 tbsp of olive oil

2 cloves of garlic minced

1 yellow onion chopped

1 potato chopped

1 carrot chopped

1 stem celery chopped

1 zucchini chopped

hand full of green beans chopped

1 can of diced tomato

4 cups of vegetable stock

2 cups water

1 bay leaf

1 tsp of chopped fresh or dried rosemary

2 tbs grated parmesan cheese (optional)

1/2 cup of pasta of choice     (optional)

salt and pepper to taste.

Heat olive oil in a dutch oven or a pot over medium flame. Add onion, celery,  carrot, zucchini; cooking until the onions are translucent.  Add garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds, then add tomatoes, stock, bay leaf, rosemary and bring to a boil.  Add chopped green bean, zucchini, potato and pasta, and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Remove the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Served with grated parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil . Enjoy!