East Meets West Veg

Friday night while I was taking care of Buddy, my mom was entertaining guests. She was the only vegetarian among a generally health-conscious and open-minded crowd so she decided to make Lentil Soup and Middle Eastern Salad. She was planning on bringing the leftovers back to my husband and me, but everyone loved it so much that there was nothing left to bring to us! For a few days she's been hearing how good her soup was so we decided to share it with you! Here in Detroit, it is the perfect day for a big pot of soup and I'm sure there will be more days like this coming soon as fall draws near.

Just like Mom's Simple Pea Soup, this soup tastes great the next day so I love to make it on the weekend and divide it up for lunches and dinners during the week. Also like the pea soup, this is great alone or served over a baked potato, rice, quinoa or with bread or crackers.

Ingredients:
1 lb green lentils
8 cups water
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 - 4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp celery salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp garlic powder, or to taste
1/2 tsp onion powder, or to taste
salt and pepper to taste
2 potatoes, diced

Method:
1. Rinse your lentils.
2. Bring lentils and water to a boil.
3. Skim off froth from the top. (This helps eliminate some possible gas)
4. Add everything else, except the potatoes.
5. Let it simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
6. Add potatoes and continue cooking for about 30 minutes.