Curry lentil soup and a little experiment

Can I say delicious?

If you like lentil soup, the flagrant taste of curry, and need to make something quick that will last you all week, this soup is for you.

The recipe actually calls for red lentils since they are known to cook faster, but I only had green lentils on hand which was fine. This recipe probably took me 40 minutes total, if that.

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 bunch scallions, chopped
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, drained (since it’s summer, you could use fresh tomatoes. I didn’t think about it until it was too late)
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 zucchini, sliced however you like
• 1 cup water, as needed
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the scallions and the curry powder and cook until flagrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the lentils, tomatoes, and broth, and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to low, season to taste with the salt and pepper, and simmer for 10 minutes. While the lentils are simmering, thinly slice the zucchini and add it to the soup. Add up to 1 cup of the water if the soup is too think. Cook until the lentils are soft, about 10 minutes more.

So.Good. You can throw in any veggies you want. My neighbor made some with spinach as well as zucchini and yellow squash and I loved it.

The only problem I had with this soup is that it’s full of fiber, and I’m beginning to think I’m eating way more than I should.

My friend Gina calls me a walking time bomb; implying that I could explode at any minute with the amount of fiber I eat.  I didn’t realize 1/4 cup of lentils had 10 grams of fiber! Coupled with the veggies and I’m looking at around 12-13 grams of fiber just for this one meal. I’ve noticed that this soup made me very very bloated and gassy the past two times I’ve eaten it (sorry folks!) However, I still highly recommend making this soup; it may not affect you like it does me. In case you haven’t noticed yet, I am very sensitive to everything.

Tomorrow I am going to keep a running tally of how much fiber I eat. I will have to guesstimate as much as I can with some items, but anything that is packaged will be counted. I read that the average person should be taking in 25-35 grams of fiber per day (I’m assuming the lower end of that number is geared toward women; the higher end toward men.) I think this will be an interesting experiment.

How much fiber are you eating? Are you a walking time bomb like me? (God I hope not!) Do you like curry?