Cauliflower Red Lentil Soup

My mom and I have eyed this package of Red Lentils for months at Trader Joes. 

Every visit it would stare back at us on the shelf as we contemplated if we should buy it or not.  We would continually pass it up as neither of us had any recipes that called for red lentils.  

Then, we started our cleanse!  (I know I mentioned the cleanse in a previous post and I WILL post more about it and the details soon, but for now, you can enjoy this recipe from it.)  For our cleanse, we needed super clean eating recipes.  (no gluten, sugar, no artificial flavors, etc.)  My friend Katie O decided to do it with us and she loaned me a cookbook she had called La Dolce Vegan! by Sarah Kramer.  It had some good looking recipes in it and this one caught my eye.  Well, it caught my eye because it called for red lentils and now I had the perfect excuse to buy that package at Trader Joes.  Hot dog!  

I've made this soup four times since then and I still find it delicious and it's so good for you!  Did I think I'd make it on a Sunday in April?  No.  Did I think I'd wait and post it next Fall when the weather turned colder?  Yes.  However, it's the end of APRIL and I woke up to a dusting of snow this morning.  I mean, really?!  Let's hope that is O-V-E-R, but just in case we get some more cold and you want to make one more batch of soup, here is a great one.  (Or, if you're like me and always cold at work I eat soup even in the summer...anybody else?!) 

Don't you just love the soup bowls my mom got me for Christmas?

Cauliflower Red Lentil Soup
Recipe from La Dolce Vegan!




1 medium onion, chopped

1 T olive oil (or avocado oil if you have it!)

1 T fresh ginger, grated

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 t. cumin seeds

½ t. red pepper flakes

1 t. ground turmeric

2 ½ C. veggie stock

2 cups cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 cup dried red lentils

¼ C. fresh cilantro

½ t. salt

In a medium pot on medium heat, sauté the onions until translucent.  Add the ginger, garlic, cumin, red pepper, and turmeric and sauté for 2 minutes; stir constantly to avoid sticking.  Add the stock, cauliflower, tomatoes, and lentils.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat.  Cover with a lid and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until veggies and lentils are cooked.  Stir in the cilantro and salt, remove from heat, and let sit 5 minutes before serving.  Makes 2 large or 4 small servings.

*I added an extra cup of stock because I found this to be very thick, almost stew like and I prefer more liquid.  

*If you can't find red lentils, green ones will work just fine!  If you haven't tried lentils, don't be scared to-they don't have a super strong flavor.

Enjoy!