Coconut Curry Lentil Soup

Special thanks to friends of ours from San Diego for this recipe. Its kind of the perfect soup - warm, filling, creamy, and the lemongrass, cinnamon, and  red pepper flakes give it a nice tarty spice finish.  This soup also freezes amazingly well.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup lentils, rinsed (I used a mixture of green and red)
• 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 tsp. turmeric OR curry powder
• 2 tsp. dried thyme or 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil (olive oil is ok too)
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 stalks lemongrass - dried is ok too but you'll end up with dry grass in some bites
• 1 tsp. sea salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp. cardamom
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• pinch of red pepper flakes to taste
• pinch of fresh grated nutmeg
• 1 1/4 cup coconut milk (don't mess around - use full fat)
• 3 Tbsp. lemon, lime or orange juice
• a few handfuls of swiss chard, spinach or kale
• 8-10oz of cut up butternut squash (optional - makes it a little more hearty)
• avocado (optional)
• chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Directions

• Add the rinsed lentils, butternut squash, broth, thyme and turmeric or curry powder to a large pot. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.

• While the lentils cook, heat the coconut oil in a pan. Add the onion and saute until just browned. Add the lemongrass, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, pinch of red pepper flakes and some fresh ground nutmeg and saute another minute. Add the onion mixture to the lentils and stir, keeping the heat on a low simmer.

• Add the coconut milk and greens and simmer another five minutes, stirring occasionally until just wilted. Taste for salt and spice and add as you prefer. Finish with the lemon juice and serve avocado and cilantro on top