Magical Comfort Soup
7 cups unchicken broth (I used 'Better than Bouillion')
1/2 cup red lentils
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
6 large or 8 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (I used Tobasco)
scant 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 a medium-large sweet yellow or white onion, chopped
2 (12 ounce) bags frozen Italian-style veggies, thawed or 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans mixed veggies
1/2-1 lemon, juiced
1. Combine all ingredients in crock pot except frozen (or canned) mixed veggies and lemon juice. Turn crock to high heat, and go take a nap for about 4 hours (until rice is very done).
2. Steam/microwave frozen veggies according to package directions (or just drain canned mixed vegetables). Chop into bite-sized pieces, if needed. Add to crock pot.
3. When you're ready to eat, add lemon juice a little at a time until it's just the right amount of yum. Adjust pepper and hot sauce, if needed.
Serve with garlic-nooch toast. Feel better!
This would also be good with noodles; I just didn't feel like fooling with pasta. For un-chicken-noodle-soup, omit the rice, and add cooked small shells/orzo/bowties along with the veggies (if pasta is cold) or lemon juice (if pasta is freshly made). Enjoy!
Source of recipe: I had severe dentistry and a head cold in the same week. In the dietary Dark Ages of long ago, I would have reached for chicken-noodle soup, and wanted something that hit the same 'comfort' notes, without (obviously!) the carcass ingredients. Also needed it to be easy enough to make when you feel crappy, so the crock pot called out to me. Tinkered this up, and it worked: I survived, and was comforted! Only problem: omni-spouse wouldn't stop eating it. :-)
SO HOW'D IT GO?
A good, tasty recipe, especially if you want something with simple flavors (I didn't use the tabasco). Will definitely make again.
I totally agree. I made this today because I'm sick and needed to eat some healthy soup. I did use hot sauce, but not the lentils(only because I don't have any). I had to add lots of sea salt and lemon juice in order to get the taste that I liked.
A good, tasty recipe, especially if you want something with simple flavors (I didn't use the tabasco). Will definitely make again.