Here is the delicious soup recipe that I mentioned a while back and have been meaning to post. It is well-loved around here. I pretty much love lentils in anything, like the delicious lentil burgers that we often enjoy. This soup was a delicious way to eat them up and get in a lot of protein and fiber. Serafina also adored this soup too pureed up minus the mushrooms. A delicious meal for the family, especially when served with whole wheat vegan cornbread!

Red Lentil Mushroom Soup

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 4 medium carrots, chopped
• 4 ribs celery, chopped
• 200 g white mushrooms, sliced
• 5 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cup red lentils
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 large bay leaf

Directions

Heat the sunflower oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add the diced onion and pressed garlic and saute 3-5 minutes until fragrant and onions are translucent. Add the carrots, celery and mushrooms and continue to cook 10-12 minutes more, until the vegetables have softened a bit. I like to add a bit of water to the pot along with the vegetables to help them cook, about 1/4 cup or so.

Next add in the vegetable broth, red lentils, sea salt and bay leaf. Turn up the heat and bring everything to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer the soup for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, uncover the soup and stir.

The soup is now ready, but you can leave it to simmer even longer if you desire to.

It is especially delicious served with this whole wheat cornbread.

Whole Wheat Vegan Cornbread

Makes one 9 x 5 loaf

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups medium grind cornmeal
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 flax egg (2 tablespoons ground flax seed + 3 tablespoons warm water)
• 1 1/3 cups non-dairy milk
• 1/3 cup sunflower oil
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt together in a large mixing bowl. In a small dish whisk together the ground flax seed and warm water to make your flax egg. Allow the flax/water mixture to sit a few minutes to thicken. In a smaller mixing bowl whisk together the milk, sunflower oil and maple syrup. Add the flax egg to this mixture as well. Pour the wet ingredients into the large mixing bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Transfer the batter to a 9 x 5 loaf pan and bake for  35-40 minutes. Loaf is ready when slightly golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

I love corn and I love bread so I really love cornbread. I almost love it as much as I love my precious banana bread! This is even good on its own or for breakfast with jam. That is how the girls like it.

Have a wonderful day! 🙂