Moroccan Red Lentil Bean Soup

One of the soups I like to eat at Panera Bread is Moroccan Tomato Lentil Soup. We were eating this on Thursday and wondering what made it Moroccan. I said it was probably cumin. I found this recipe for a Moroccan lentil soup with a bit more oomph. It has cumin and other spices. This uses the little red lentils. They cook down so quickly that they’ll seem to melt. You can substitute brown lentils if you want but you’ll need to cook the soup ten minutes or so more. Whether it’s the cold weather or the fact that I’m recovering from a bad flu-like virus all I want to eat lately is soup. Fortunately, there are hundreds of delicious vegetarian soups.

Moroccan Red Lentil Bean Stew

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon saffron, crushed
1 tablespoon hot water
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
6 cups vegetable stock
1  15 ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
½ cup dried red lentils
½ cup basmati rice
1 can diced stewed tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Sauté the onion in the olive oil. Mix the saffron in the hot water nd set aside. Add curry powder, cumin rosemary and fennel seeds to the onions. Stir for 30 seconds. Stir in hot vegetable broth, beans, lentils, and rice. Simmer about 30 minutes until lentils and rice are tender. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste and cilantro. Heat through and season to taste.

Creamy Roasted Garlic and Cauliflower Soup

Here’s a low fat cauliflower soup recipe a friend sent me. It’s got creamy roasted garlic and cauliflower in it. Delicious.

Creamy Roasted Garlic & Cauliflower Soup

1 medium head of garlic, cloves unpeeled, but papery outer skin removed*
1/2 tsp. plus 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium leeks (about 1 1/3 cups), white part only, washed and sliced
1/2-1 tsp. dried thyme
Salt, to taste
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1 lb. (about 3 1/2 cups) coarsely chopped fresh cauliflower
3 cups vegetable   broth
1 can (12 oz.) fat-free evaporated milk
4 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

*Note: You can prepare the roasted garlic up to 1 day before you cook the soup.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Cut off a 1/2-inch slice from the top of the head of garlic.  Place the garlic on a sheet of foil and drizzle it with a 1/2 tsp. of the olive oil.  Roast the garlic for 45-55 minutes, or until the cloves are soft.  Let it cool 5 minutes.  Squeeze the garlic from the skin directly into a small bowl.  Mash it with a fork and set it aside.

In a large nonstick saucepan, heat 2 tsp. of olive oil over medium heat.  Add the leeks, thyme, salt and white pepper.  Cook, stirring for 6-8 minutes, or until the leeks are translucent (but not browned).  Stir in the roasted garlic.  Cook for 30 seconds.  Add the cauliflower, broth and milk.  Over medium-high heat, bring the mixture to a gentle boil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the cauliflower is tender.  Let the mixture cool for 5-10 minutes.

Using a blender or food processor, purée half of the cauliflower and 1 cup of the cooking liquid until it is smooth.  Pour the mixture into a medium bowl.  Repeat the process with the remaining cauliflower and 1 cup of liquid.  Stir the purée back into the saucepan with the rest of the cooking liquid.  Reheat, if necessary.  Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle each serving with 1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese.

Makes 6 servings.  Per serving:  114 calories, 3 g total fat (<1 g saturated fat), 14 g carbohydrates, 8 g protein, 2 g dietary fiber, 422 mg sodium.