Lentil Soup with Kale

I LOVE lentil soup, always have, even as a kid! My family on the other hand, not so much. However, it is so good for you and so inexpensive that I was determined to find a recipe that they would eat. I love this recipe for several reasons, #1 being it is in the crockpot and #2 because it has kale. Kale is hard to get into my boys unless it is in this soup or a green drink.

I found it in a book called, Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker, by Robin Robertson. She is a vegan chef that I really like. She has lots of other cookbooks and a blog that are all very good.

Here is the recipe with my adaptions:

Lentil Soup with Kale

Throw the following into your crockpot:

-1 onion chopped
-1 or 2 celery rib chopped
-1 or 2 carrots chopped
-2 chopped garlic cloves
-1 1/4 c. lentils, picked over and rinsed
-6 c. veggie broth ( I used my garlic broth)
-1 tbs tamari or other soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Cook in your crockpot on low or high until the lentils are soft. (I am hesitant to give times as my crockpot cooks very fast.) I cook on high if I am serving for lunch and low for dinner. Sometimes I will also throw some barley in.

Chop your kale into bite size pieces, or even smaller as it can be tough to chew. Boil it in salted water for 5 minutes and add before you are ready to eat.

We serve with parmesan cheese. My husband puts hot sauce on it, but then again, he puts hot sauce on everything! I also serve with bread and maybe fruit.

All of my boys will eat this recipe and even ask for seconds. It used to be that whenever we served lentils, I would offer them a special dessert because it wasn't their favorite, but since I began making this recipe, I don't have to do that anymore and that is saying something...

This recipe is great for a cool, rainy day such as this. Let me know if you give it a try.

From our home to yours,
Jennifer