Lemony Red Lentil Soup w/ Tahini Drizzle

Name: Lemony Red Lentil Soup w/ Tahini Drizzle
Yield: Makes enough for 4 as a main and 6 people as a side
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive or coconut oil; 1 small yellow onion, chopped (about 3 cups); 1 fist-sized russet potato, chopped about the size of some dice; 1 carrot, chopped; 2 cloves of garlic, minced; 1 teaspoon ground coriander*; ½ teaspoon ground cumin; ½ teaspoon smoked paprika; ½ teaspoon salt; 2 cups rinsed, dry red lentils; 6 cups vegetable broth; ½ teaspoon lemon zest; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; ½ cup chopped, fresh cilantro (optional); Tahini Cream Drizzle; ½ cup tahini; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 3 tablespoon unsweetened nondairy milk; 1 clove of garlic, grated; 2-3 teaspoons maple syrup; ¼ teaspoon salt

Cook Time

40 min

Servings

Makes enough for 4 as a main and 6 people as a side

Lemony Red Lentil Soup w/ Tahini Drizzle

Feel like you're getting sick? Even just reading this you gotta tickle in your throat? Fuck it, might as well make some lentil soup just in case.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive or coconut oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped (about 3 cups)

1 fist-sized russet potato, chopped about the size of some dice

1 carrot, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground coriander*

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups rinsed, dry red lentils

6 cups vegetable broth

½ teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ cup chopped, fresh cilantro (optional)

Tahini Cream Drizzle

½ cup tahini

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoon unsweetened nondairy milk

1 clove of garlic, grated

2-3 teaspoons maple syrup

¼ teaspoon salt

Directions

Grab a big ass stockpot and heat the oil up over a medium heat. Add the onion and let it sauté for about 5-8 minutes until it starts getting all soft and golden-ish, not browned. Honestly the earth is warming and our sea levels are rising so don't focus too much about the range of uncooked-to-browned onions. Life's fucking short, ya know? Now add the potato and carrot. Sauté for another 3 minutes and then add the garlic and spices. At this point your place should start smelling better than a Yankee candle. Sauté for another 30 seconds and then add the salt, lentils, and broth.

Let the lentils simmer, uncovered, till they’re soft and kinda falling apart, about 15-20 minutes. Stir this every now and then. While the soup simmers, make the Tahini Cream Drizzle. This takes less than a minute calm the fuck down. Place the tahini in a glass then whisk in each ingredient starting with the lemon juice until everything's combined. Once everything is blended, taste and see if ya need more salt or maple syrup or whatever. You want it kinda sweet to balance with the acid and smokiness of the soup. Or skip this shit altogether and just enjoy the soup we don't give a flying fuck.

Once the lentils have softened, add the lemon zest and juice and turn off the heat. Now you can stop if you prefer a chunky lentil soup or you can blend half of it for a creamy chunky hybrid thing. It’s your soup, own that shit. The blended soup will thicken up if you throw it back on the stove with some low heat for a minute or two, just watch. Magic, bitches.

Serve warm topped with some chopped cilantro and swirl in some of the tahini cream. Extra lemon wedges on the side if you're feeling fancy.

* if you don't have coriander, cumin is fine

Pairs With...