Cook something simple - simple lentil soup!

Inclusive cooking isn't about complex meals, it's about feeding everyone at your table delicious food that they can all enjoy without messing up anybodies tummy or their ethics.

Let's start with a really simple soup. I love red lentil soup, it's vegan (if you use the right stock) and it is suitable for most people living with a food allergy/intolerance. The only people you should be careful about giving it to are those allergic to tomatoes, onions or celery (unless you can make some celery free stock).

For Simple Lentil Soup you will need:

170g of red split lentils (washed)
450ml of fresh water
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 onion, freshly chopped
1 tin of plum tomatoes, chopped
450ml of gluten free vegetable stock

And possibly some cream cheese (for example Philadelphia ) or crème fraîche
(I just put the links in so you can find the stuff, they are not sponsored in anyway)

You will also need a blender for this recipe.

Having rinsed your lentils add the fresh water and bring to the boil. Continue to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the lentils are very soft. It's important to use fresh water and not stock, equally do not add any salt, it reacts with the proteins on the outside of the lentil forming a tough water tight barrier and your lentils will not go soft.

Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion gently until it goes soft and loses colour (about 2 minutes).  Don't use pre-chopped onion from supermarkets, it's not just lazy it's expensive and they add sulphates to it to preserve it. Plenty of people are sensitive to sulphates which is why it's also a good idea to use organic tomatoes which are also sulphate free (Suma do a nice one).

Add the tomatoes, the garlic if you are using it and the cooked lentil mixture (you don't need to strain the lentils, bung it all in!) and add the stock. 

If you're cooking for a vegan do check the stock doesn't have lactose or other milk products in, if it is suitable for vegans it will usually say so and if you really can't find any a very weak solution of yeast extract will do the job. (I use Knorr which I think is vegan but please correct me if it's not!)

Bring it back up to simmering and leave for about 6 to 8 minutes then blend.

If you are giving this soup to little ones or those that need more calories then generally I would say to add a good dollop of cream cheese or creme fraiche not just because it looks lovely swirled into the soup but because this soup is high in fibre and the dairy helps to raise the calorific content, also it then becomes a 'complete food' containing all the essential amino acids your body needs to make protein. 

Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a suitable bread and good company.

I love this soup but to be honest if I ate it everyday I might find it a little bland so every so often I like to jazz it up a bit.

Spice up your life!

Here are the optional extras!

A bay leaf - add it with the stock but for goodness sake take it out before you blend!!

1 to 3 cloves of finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon of finely chopped fresh ginger
Chilli powder, flakes or oil (the amount depends on you!)
 - Add anyone or all of these to the onion as cooks. Chilli flakes also look great as a garnish.

Vegan (gluten free) Worcestershire sauce  - this also works great as a garnish and adds a lovely taste.
(I like one made by Life and it's available in most supermarkets)

For a vegan it would be a good idea to add some sesame seeds as a garnish to complete the proteins. Watercress also makes a lovely healthy garnish.
 
And finally if I'm making the soup for little ones to eat too I leave out all the extra flavours and just add some ground herbs and spices on top of my serving at the end. I particularly like red hot chilli seasoning by Fiddes Payne. (Again these links are not sponsored, I'm just telling you stuff that works for me)

ENJOY. xx