We have been having some really interesting weather patterns in West Michigan this summer which has led me to create this sprouted lentil soup. Usually, Michigan summers tend to be sunny, not that humid, cool in the morning and evening but warm during the day.
This year – we have had either HOT or COLD weather. For example, it will be high 80’s for a week then all the sudden a cold front moves across the lake and we wake up to 60’s.
I have always said the body just can’t handle that sudden drop in temps! (hence why I am sick in the fall when this happens and then again in the spring!). So to now have this going on in the summer….
Thank-you Lake effect and global warming.
Anyways – off of my weather woes and unto this vegan soup, which will be great when the weather does that lake effect thing again.
Has anyone out there sprouted lentils before? This started as an interesting experiment for me. I literally just wanted to see what would happen. And it doesn’t hurt that I kept reading about how good sprouted grains were for you. Read more of that here on One Green Planet. Also, lentils seem to give me tummy trouble and I wondered if sprouting would help…and according to this website it should help.
And guess what? It worked! I followed the directions found here on the Wholefully blog and in a few days I had sprouted lentils. Very cool experiment!
Although, when I started the experiment, I had not really thought through what I would do with all these sprouted lentils. And truth be told, I was still really nervous to eat them considering the past tummy troubles.
So, I decided, well I could make them into a soup. Because the one time I had made lentil soup it seemed to be a bit less stomach / digestive issues due to the longer cooking time. So sprouting and then long cooking time – well this might be ideal for me!
Does anyone else start to make soup with a few simple ingredients and then bam suddenly the soup takes on a life of its own? Well that kind happened here. It started simple, and I kept adding. And adding. And adding. Until the pot was almost overflowing – oops! Good thing this vegan lentil soup freezes well!
So don’t be afraid to customize this to your liking – sometimes the soup bowl just calls for a little more of this and a little more of that!
Soup’s On! If you make this Spicy Sprouted Lentil Soup we would love to know! Tag @badtothebowl on social media.
Spicy Sprouted Lentil Soup
Sprouted lentils really up the nutritional value in this recipe!
Ingredients
- 2 cups sprouted lentils*
- 1 sweet potato peeled and cubed
- 1 cup sweet onion, diced
- 1/2 cup carrots, diced
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup corn
- 4 cups mild salsa
- 4 cups veggie broth
- 1 cup water
- 2 t. lemon juice
- 1 t. cumin
- 1 t salt
- 1/2 t coriander (crushed)
- 1/2 t. oregano
- 1/2 t. chili powder
- 1/4 t red pepper
- 1/8 t black pepper
- 5-7 cups chopped kale
Instructions
- In large stock pan, saute your onion, celery and carrots for 3-5 minutes over medium-high heat. Add in minced garlic and cook 1 – 2 minutes more.
- Next add, sweet potato, sprouted lentils, corn, salsa, veggie broth, water, lemon juice and spices. Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer until your veggies are tender ( 25 – 30 minutes). Remove lid and stir in kale until just wilted.
- Serve with a side salad or crusty bread for a complete meal!
