Non-Fat Middle Eastern Greens and Lentil Soup

"The original recipe comes from Paula Wolfert's Mediterranean Grains and Greens cookbook. I have modified it so that it uses no oil. I have to watch my food budget, so I also use supermarket lentils instead of the imported ones, and bottled lemon juice instead of freshly squeezed. You can, of course, use Spanish pardina or Indian, Egyptian or Ethiopian lentils if you like, as well as freshly squeezed lemon juice. The Tuscan kale is very good with this dish, and you could add arugula, watercress or beet greens to the soup. This is a very light, savory and tasty soup that is much better tasting on the second day."
 
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Ready In:
1hr
Ingredients:
9
Yields:
1 1/2 cups
Serves:
8
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ingredients

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directions

  • Wash the lentils and drain them in a colander. Put them into a soup pot with the chopped onion, garlic and salt and two quarts of water or broth, bring to a boil, skim any foam off, and cook for fifteen or twenty minutes.
  • While the lentils are cooking, wash the greens and remove the stems from the chard or kale if you are using them. Slice the greens in narrow shreds. You should have about four cups.
  • Spray a non-stick frying pan or seasoned cast iron skillet with canola spray, place it on the burner and add 1/4 cup broth from the cooking lentils to the pan. Add the cilantro and the greens, cover the pan and allow them to wilt for about five minutes. Scrape the contents of the skillet into the pan with the cooking lentils. Cook another twenty minutes or so, until the soup is thick.
  • Stir the lemon juice into the soup and serve.

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Reviews

  1. Could use less lemon juice depending on how lemony you like things, but this turned out deliciously. It was also easy and cheap, which are (of course) two extra pluses.
     
  2. amazing! swiss chard was my new vegetable of the week and so this was my first recipe for it! it has a very unique but pleasing flavor!
     
  3. Very delicious soup! I wasn't sure when to add the potato and added it in when cooking the lentils. I used a combination of spinach and swiss chard. Made this for Freezer Tag game and it freezes very well. The color is not quite as vibrant but it tastes very good. I made the soup as directed, allowed to cool and then froze in freezer containers. I defrosted in the microwave and then heated until bubbly. I added the lemon juice just before serving.
     
  4. Thanks for the great recipe! This was my first experience with kale and it was delicious! I will definitely be making this soup again.
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

I learned to cook 30 years ago when I lived in Europe (Paris and Brussels). I got recipes and cookbooks from friends there; then I started frequenting the North African markets for spices and foods from them. Today I am a vegetarian cook who spends a lot of time cooking Indian and Mediterranean recipes. My favorite cook book authors are Yamuna Devi, Madhur Jaffrey, Julie Sahni, Martha Rose Shulman Paula Wolfert and Peter Reinhart. I am posting only low fat or nonfat recipes; I have modified the fat content of virtually all of the Indian recipes that I use because the amounts of oil recommended are horrendous and not necessary.
 
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