We travelled some snowy highways to get home after Christmas, but we were welcomed back with a stunning sunset and no snow to speak of.

However, this is the east coast, and I’ve learned I should not get too comfortable with any particular kind of weather–it’s apt to change at a moment’s notice.  We weren’t home for long, when the weather, indeed, changed it’s fickle mind.

We ended up with about a foot of snow come Sunday morning.  It took My Love 2 hours to shovel out our short driveway in preparation for getting to our Sunday morning service.  The plow came down our street shortly after, so he ventured out to see how the rest of the town was faring in the snow removal.  Unfortunately, the parking lot at the building where we meet was not done.  Disappointed, we cancelled our worship time together.  We were especially sad because it was our first meeting since before Christmas and we were missing everyone.  We hunkered down for a leisurely day.  We ate the food prepared for our fellowship meal that was to follow the communion service.  (We began the pot-luck fellowship meal as an extension of breaking bread together).  While my Love enjoyed his Sunday afternoon football, I spent my time Pinteresting, Netflixing, painting and playing Monopoly Deal with my cl boy.  I did join My Love in his football-watching later in the evening (although, I did crochet while I watched).

This kind of day called for soup for dinner.  A meatless soup, because, as per usual, I failed to have meat already thawing.

I looked for something with kale.  On our way home from Ontario, we like to stop at a lovely market that carries all kinds of items that are not necessarily available here in our small town Co-op.  Often these items are also locally grown, which we appreciate.  This market is so much more than a grocery store; it’s also a cute gift shop, a deli, a bakery, an ice cream parlour, and a cafeteria-style restaurant with amazing seafood chowder. In our quest to detox after holiday bingeing, we stocked up on fruit and veggies at the market,  including kale at a great price.  This was a good starting point for my soup.
I had this lentil soup recipe pinned:  Spiced Vegan Lentil Soup from Cookie and Kate.  Perfect.  Kale…check.  Curry…a family favourite.  Lentils…already in my pantry.  I have not often–maybe never?–cooked with lentils.  I bought them to broaden my culinary horizons.  We love Indian food, so it seemed not too far to stretch.

I started by rinsing one cup of lentils.

Next, I diced a large onion, and I diced the rest of the carrot sticks I had prepared for our pot-luck (probably 2 or 3 whole carrots), sautéing them in a splash of olive oil until softened.

I added 5 cloves of garlic, minced, and 2 teaspoons of cumin, and close to a tablespoon of our homemade curry powder (read about it here), a 1/2 teaspoon of thyme and a pinch of red pepper flakes.  I let this heat up a little–it smelled heavenly– before adding a small can of tomato sauce (though the recipe calls for diced tomatoes).

I then, tossed in the cup of rinsed lentils along with the remainder (probably 3/4) of a carton of broth, water–using the tomato can–a little more than 1 can’s worth, salt and pepper.  Brought it to a boil, then let simmer for at least 30 minutes (I forgot to check the time).  The lentils were tender, but still intact.

I removed 2 cups of the soup and let it cool in my ninja for a few minutes before pureeing.

I prepped the kale by removing the tough rib.  I’ve found the easiest way to do this is to fold the leaves to one side and simply run a sharp knife along the stalk to remove it.

I then chopped the kale and added it to the soup to cook for a few minutes. I mixed the puree back into the soup. When the kale was soft (it took about 10 minutes), I was done.  You can serve this soup with a squeeze of lemon for a fresh taste.

All in all it took about an hour.  The recipe fed three of us (my cl boy didn’t want to try it, naturally), and gave us leftovers for two or three lunches.  It was wonderfully flavourful and aromatic.  My df girl and I both enjoyed the soup and My Love like the flavour but is not a huge fan of the texture of lentils.  I do think I will make this soup again.

Side note:  Sorry for the unappetizing pictures. I just use my phone camera…it does not like artificial light.  I had no lovely lemons or fresh herbs to garnish…try it anyway…