Fat Free Spicy Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

• red lentils, 2 cups
• mushrooms, 1 - 3 cups
• peas, 1 - 2 cups
• 2 - 3 onions
• vegetable broth
• stewed or canned sliced tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 - 2 inches ginger root
• 1 bunch cillantro
• 2 teaspoon cayene pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin, tumeric, and any other spices
• Dash salt

Directions:

Begin by cooking the lentils according to packaged directions using vegetable broth instead of water.  Make a paste in the food processor with 1 onion, garlic, ginger root, and most of the cillantro. (I use this paste in most soups and as a substitute for oil in stir fry - you can delete garlic or ginger, substitute parsley for cillantro, add any spices).  Add the paste, spices, 2 diced onions, lg can stewed tomatoes, and rest of vegetable broth to cooked lentils and simmer 1 hour or more.  20 minutes before serving, refridgerating, or freezing, add peas and mushrooms (quite frankly, you can use just about any vegetable that you like with these flavors.)  This type of thick curry-ish soup is also good served over rice or pasta.  Freezes great!

Serves: 10-12

Preparation time: 1 hour