Moroccan Lentil Soup

Greetings Everyone!

Summer is finally here and in full swing! It's hard to believe that we were experiencing cool and rainy temperatures just a week ago. Our average June temperature was 15C/59F and a low of 11C/52F


I posted this exotic vegetarian soup on my official Facebook page on July 2nd. This warm and comforting dish was fitting for the below seasonal temperatures. So, due to popular demand ...Voila!

Moroccan Lentil Soup: (Gluten & Dairy Free)

Laced with pungent spices and punctuated with the freshness of  chopped tomatoes and cilantro.

2 cups dried green lentils

1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil 

l large onion, diced

1/2 cup diced carrot, l large peeled carrot

l large stalk celery, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/.2 tsp. paprika

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp.. each turmeric, ground cumin, cinnamon and ginger

Juice of 1 lemon

2 fresh tomatoes, seeded and diced

Chopped fresh cilantro

Place lentils in a bowl and cover with 6 cups cold water. Soak for 1 hour. Then strain and rinse well. Heat oil in a large saucepan.  Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and saute over medium heat, stirring often until soft, about 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle with seasonings and lemon juice. Add soaked and rinsed lentils along with 6 cups fresh cold water. Stir together and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend and lentils to soften.  Stir in tomatoes.  Heat through.  Serve soup with cilantro sprinkled over top.

Balancing Flavors and Cravings

The key to creating delicious and satisfying dishes is learning to balance all five flavors. The ratio may vary according to the dish you are creating. Your cravings will subside and you will be left feeling satisfied and content!

Balancing The Flavors:

• Sweet
• Sour
• salty
• Spicy/Pungent
• Bitter

Secrets to balancing flavors:

1. Excess sour is balanced by sweet
2. Overly bitter is balanced by sour
3. Fats tone down pungent/spicy and mellow or too much sweetness
4. Salt and sour bring out flavors
5. Sweet is toned down by fats

Foods and Flavors:

Sweet: apples, bananas, dates, mangos, stevia, agave nectar, raw honey
Sour: grapefruit, lemon, lime, raw apple cider vinegar, grapefruit
Salty: Celtic sea salt, Nama shoyu, kelp, dulse, miso , celery
Spicy: hot peppers, garlic, cayenne pepper
Bitter: Kale, lettuce, culinary herbs, dandelion greens

Flavor Combining For International Cuisines - Culinary Herbs & Spices:

Italian: basil, parsley, oregano, rosemary, thyme, garlic
Mexican: cumin, coriander, cilantro, chili powder, hot pepers, garlic, lime
Indian: cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg, curry, tumeric, garam masala, ginger
Thai: cilantro, lemongrass, cumin, curry, ginger, coconut
Chinese: licorice, ginger, soy sauce, miso, vinegar, garlic, fennel, cinnamon, cloves, honey