Curried Sweet Potato, Carrot, Lentil & Ginger Soup
This quick vegan soup, adapted from a recipe on local cookbook author and food personality Julie van Rosendaal's blog, Dinner with Julie, is the perfect comfort food for fall/winter and is loaded with nutrients! The orange sweet potato and carrot provide tons of vitamin A in the form of beta-carotene, as well as potassium, which helps prevent high blood pressure. Red lentils, which are actually green or brown lentils with the outer skin removed, meld colourlessly and flavourlessly into the soup as they are cooked - add a handful to anything that could use a boost of protein, fibre, folate and iron, including soups, stews... even oatmeal! Feel free to play around with different curry powders and pastes to find a mix of spices that you like - try garam masala, a mix of cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, star anise and other spices, to highlight the sweetness of the vegetables, or Thai red curry paste if you like a bit of heat. If you are concerned about your sodium intake, choose the lowest-sodium vegetable broth you can find, or just use water. Also, watch out for the sodium in some curry pastes!
Ingredients (Makes about 8 cups)
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) canola oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- ½ cup (125 mL) red lentils, rinsed, drained and picked through for rocks
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 tsp (5 mL) curry paste or powder
- 4 cups (1 L) low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup (250 mL) water
Method
- In a medium pot, heat oil over medium-high heat and sauté onion, garlic and ginger for 3-4 minutes, until soft. Add the lentils, sweet potato, carrots, curry paste and broth, along with a cup of water. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down, cover and simmer for half an hour until the vegetables are very tender.
- Puree soup using a hand-held immersion blender, or transfer it in batches to a blender and puree until smooth. Optional: Serve with a dollop of low-fat plain yogurt or sour cream (use soy variations to keep it vegan).
Nutrition Info (per 2-cup serving)
189 calories, 4 g fat (0.4 g saturated), 0 mg cholesterol, 29 g carbohydrate (5 g fibre, 5 g sugar), 11 g protein, 632 mg sodium.
