I am excited to present you a new blogger to Zestycook. Kevin from Closetcooking was very accepting when I asked him to do a guest post on zesty. I have been reading Kevin’s blog for a while now and mostly drooling over stunning photography and loving his recipes. I gave Kevin full reign over what to post and as you can see below – it looks like he came up with another winner.
Recently I have been enjoying exploring lentils though up until now I have only been using the green du puy lentils. There are many different types of lentils and I wanted to branch out and try a new one. When I was out shopping the bright red lentils caught my attention and I picked some of them up.
Despite the fact that we have had a few warm days the weather has gotten cooler again and I was in the mood for a soup. While searching for recipes I came across a few for curried red lentil and chickpea soups that sounded good. Using those two main ingredients as the base for my soup I proceeded to add my favorite soup vegetables; onions, carrots and celery. Next I added some diced tomatoes to add more body and red to the soup. I thought that I was pretty much done but then as I was pulling out the lentils I noticed the quinoa in my cupboard and I recalled that it had worked well in several soups that I had made before and I decided to throw some in as well. I had ended up with a recipe for a nice and healthy sounding soup that also promised to taste great.
Red lentils cook pretty quickly and I only needed to simmer them in the soup for as long as I would have simmered the soup to allow for enough time for the flavours to mingle anyways. The curried red lentil soup with chickpeas and quinoa was nice and easy to make and it did not take long. This soup could easily be made on a week night. I really enjoyed the combination of the red lentils, chickpeas and quinoa and the textures that they added to the soup. The soup was nice and thick and hearty and yet somehow light at the same time. With the curry powder in it the soup was nice and aromatic and it tasted great. I wanted a bit more heat in the soup so I added some chili sauce though you could easily omit it or reduce it or even increase it depending on your tastes. I garnish the soup with some fresh chopped cilantro and a dollop of thick and creamy strained (or Greek style) yogurt.
Curried Red Lentil Soup with Chickpeas and Quinoa
(makes 4-6 servings)
Printable Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1/2 cup onion (chopped)
- 1/2 cup carrot (chopped)
- 1/2 cup celery (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon garlic (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon ginger (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon curry powder (or 1 tablespoon garam masala + 1 teaspoon turmeric)
- 1 cup red lentils
- 3 cups chicken stock (or vegetable broth)
- 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon chili sauce (such as sambal oelek, or to taste)
- 1 (19 ounce) can chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
- 1 cup quinoa (cooked)
- salt and pepper to taste
- * cilantro (chopped)
- * Greek style yogurt (or strained yogurt or sour cream)
Method
- Heat the oil in a pan.
- Add the onions, carrots and celery and saute until tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Add the garlic, ginger and curry powder and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the lentils, stock, tomatoes and chili sauce.
- Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Add the chickpeas and quinoa and warm them up.
- Season with salt and pepper and serve with a garnish of cilantro and a dollop of Greek style yogurt.
- ENJOY!
Editors Note:
I hope you enjoyed this post! The soup looks excellent and I am very thankful that Closetcooking took the time to guest post on zesty. If you are one of Kevin’s regular readers drop a comment below and let him know what you think of the recipe. If you are a regular zesty reader, I definitely appreciate your support and love reading your comments. As you read this, I wonder if I am on the beach in Jamaica? I hope you have a great Wednesday.
Take care
zesty
Related posts:
- Curried Pumpkin and Apple Soup
- Savor The Thyme – Quinoa Chili
- Chicken, Broccoli, Rice and Soup?
- Kicked Up Vegetable Stew Made Easy
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Whether it is about recipes, food techniques, food tips, or meal suggestions in a rush - this is your one stop food shop. When I was sitting at home - I always wanted to write a blog and help people in everyday life come up with innovative and different approaches to food. So here it is - released for all to see - I hope you enjoy!
Looks like a great recipe!!!
Great soup! Love Kevin’s blog and food.
I love Kevin’s blog! This soup looks amazing! Great guest post.
I love quinoa! Never thought to put it in soup! Great recipe!
Yum, two of my favorite ingredients in one recipe–chickpeas and quinoa!
I love the sound of this recipe, thanks!
The good old Quinoa! Funny that it was around since ancient Egypt!
Excellent grain everyone should have in their cupboard!
Gabi.
This is a lovely soup! My stomach starts to rumble just looking at it (it is after all dinnertime..:))
That sounds fantastic!! I’ve never had quinoa but this recipe makes me want to try it
That soups looks fabulous and full of flavor. Great pics, Zesty!
This sounds like such a delicious recipe! I love curry, chickpeas, quinoa, and lentils…sounds like a winner to me! =)
Good looking soup, with an easy to follow recipe, and great ingredients. I like the addition of quinoa to soup, gives it a really nice texture & body. The photo is quite stunning as well – so vibrant!
Never thought of putting quinoa in soups! Looks really delicious.
Kevin, I’m a very happy reader of your blog. I’ve been lurking there for quite a while. Glad to see your guest post on Zesty.
Kevin – This looks like an awesome recipe.
Zesty – As always, love your blog
I enjoyed your post. Great to host Kevin here. He has a great blog.
Love it! Love lentils and love chick peas AND love curries! This looks like a fabulous combination of all of it!
I am a long time Closet Cooking fan because of great recipes like this. Go Kevin!
Yet another winning recipe from Kevin. Some of my favorites here. I’m tempted to change my dinner plans
Made this tonight for the family. Just happened to have everything on hand. I used sriracha for the chile sauce… just a teaspoon, since my family likes hot food only mildly hot.
This is a delicious recipe! Bravo Kevin! Fresh tasting; very low in fat; good stuff.
That’s my kinda recipe!!
I’ve been planning a red lentil soup for a while and I’m book marking this one
This sounds and looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it out.
We need to start eating healthier at my house and this definitely fits the bill!!
Really enjoyed reading this thank you!
I made this in the crock pot, and it was fabulous! All of my friends loved it, too, and it’s hard to please them!
Looks fantastic! Thank you!
This is the second time I made this soup and it is fabulous.
Rich and flavorful, I love the yoghurt and cilantro at the end ..
Everyone should try it.
Thank you so much.
C.nut