Recipes

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon ground dried ginger)
• 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken or beef broth (water can also be used)
• 1 1/2 cups red lentils, dried
• 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes (tomatoes and any juice), low sodium if available
• 3/4 cup diced carrots
• 3/4 cup chopped celery (about 3 medium stalks)
• 1 teaspoon garam masala (a spice blend)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 6 tablespoons fat-free sour cream (optional garnish)

Preparation:

1. Add onions, garlic, ginger and olive to a large nonstick saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often (about 7 minutes). Add the broth, lentils, garbanzo beans, diced tomatoes, carrots, celery, garam masala, cardamom, cayenne pepper and cumin.
2. Bring stew to a boil, then lower heat to simmer, cover saucepan and continue to cook until lentils are soft (about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.)
3. Ladle about a third to a half of the soup into a large food processor or blender and pulse to briefly puree. Pour soup puree back into the pot and stir. Serve each bowl with a dollop of fat-free sour cream, if desired.

Yield:
6 large servings

Nutritional Information:
Per serving: 321 calories, 21 g protein, 52 g carbohydrate, 5.5 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 11.4 g fiber, 323 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 15%.

© 2007 Elaine Magee