FINALLY!!!  IT’S HERE!!!

I know I promised this recipe back at the end of February, but honestly, after completing the Daniel Fast, I really wasn’t interested in any meals that did not include meat.  Now that I am past that, and the fact that my wife keeps returning to the Daniel Fast as her fast of choice, I finally made it again.

As I stated in my previous post, my lentil soup packs a secret punch of protein, by way of the inclusion of quinoa (pronounced keen-wa).  Quinoa is a gluten and cholesterol free seed that can be used as a grain.  According to about.com, “1/3 cup of cooked quinoa has 160 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 3 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein.”

I often use quinoa in place of rice these days, as my body doesn’t handle carbohydrates like it used to.  Rather than rice and pasta these days, I turn to beans like lentils, quinoa, bulgar wheat and wheat berries, which are even more protein rich.

INGREDIENTS

1-2 TBS Coconut or olive oil (I prefer coconut)

1 medium onion chopped

1 medium carrot chopped

2 cloves minced garlic

4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

2 cups water

1 cup of lentils

½ cup quinoa

1-2 TBS curry powder (optional, but recommended)

1. Heat the oil in your soup pan over a medium heat.  As you can see, I have an electric stove; I turn it to 6.
2. Saute the carrot and onion until soft.
3. Add in the garlic and cook for no more than a minute.  No one wants burned garlic. 
4. Once the garlic is cooked, add in the broth, water, lentils and quinoa.
5. Once it gets to a gentle boil, I add the curry powder.  This is where you really want to taste the soup to make necessary adjustments to salt, pepper and curry.
6. Turn the stove on low and allow the lentils with quinoa to cook.  In my initial picture above, you will see that I have corn in my quinoa.  I decided to add some frozen corn I had in the freezer because the little lady loves corn.

I hope you enjoy this recipe.  It is the perfect gluten-free, protein packed dish that is also Daniel Fast approved.