Yogi recipe: vegan yellow lentil & pumpkin soup with quinoa

February 9, 2013 by Ambika Yoga 1 Comment

This is an ideal meal when you are pressed for time and still want to eat a healthy and filling meal: right after your yoga practice or at lunch for example. The soup can be eaten as a full meal on its own or served with a cooked grain (quinoa, millet, …), potatoes from the oven, some bread or chapatis, … You can also choose to eat it with seasoned and stir fried or oven-baked tofu or tempeh. Use your imagination to adapt it to your favorite tastes with some chili, some other herbs or spices of your liking.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of chopped up pumpkin
• 1 cup of yellow (brown, orange, …) lentils
• 0.5 cup of other seasonal veggies
• 3 cups of filtered water
• 1 or 2 cm of ginger root
• 1 tbsp of mustard seeds
• 0.5 tbsp of coriander seeds
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp of turmeric powder
• 1 tsp of garam masala (or curry) powder
• Salt & pepper
• (Coconut) oil
• Fresh parsley

Preparation

• Wash the vegetables & cut in ~2cm cubes.
• Peel the ginger root & grate it or cut it in small bits.
• Thoroughly rinse the lentils until the water runs clear.
• Heat some (preferably coconut) oil in a frying pan (wok).
• Add the mustard & coriander seeds; wait until they ‘pop’. 
• Add the ginger root; stir for 2 minutes.
• Add the garam masala & turmeric powder; stir for another minute. 
• Add the pumpkin and other seasonal vegetables of your liking (I added some celeriac); stir fry for a couple of minutes. 
• Add the lentils; stir fry for another 2 minutes.
• Add the filtered water & the bay leaves; leave it to boil.
• When it boils, lower the heat & let it simmer for approximately 25 minutes or until the vegetables and the lentils are tender. 
• You may have to add some water depending whether you want a soup or more thick sauce type of dish. 
• Add salt ONLY at the end (as it’ll prolong cooking time) & season with pepper. Take out the bay leaves before serving & serve with the fresh parsley on top.

Serving suggestion
Serve with quinoa, millet or some other whole grain you like.