Daugherty Vegan Lentil Soup

-Toni Sicola, Executive Editor, Health and Wellness Professional

I mentioned before that in April, we focused on digestive health at AHS, holding potlucks that featured foods that support healthy digestion. One of the dishes at John George Psychiatric Hospital stood out as stellar, so I thought I’d share it with the group.

Daugherty Vegan Lentil Soup

This recipe is great for digestion for a few reasons:

1. It contains high-fiber foods: lentils, celery, onion, carrots, and if you leave the skin on the potatoes, there’s fiber there too
2. The lentils are soaked overnight, allowing some of the hard-to-digest constituents in the outer layer to dissipate (this works even better if you put a few drops of vinegar or fresh lemon juice in the water as they soak)
3. Prebiotics in onion which feed the beneficial bacteria in the gut (throw a few diced raw onions on top for an even greater effect)

With a healthy dependence on chicken stock for flavor, I’ve never relied solely on water as the base of my soups and was really impressed with the rich flavor and feel of this soup. The potatoes create a thick consistency, and the herbs and spices fill in where the animal ingredients were omitted.

Terri and Brian Daugherty’s family recipe calls for bacon as part of the sauté, but when their daughter became vegetarian, they altered the recipe, adding EVOO to the sauté and omitted the bacon. This soup tastes neither vegan nor bland!

courtesy of RealFoodForLife.com

Ingredients (serves 6):

• 1 lb lentils
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2-3 stalks of celery, sliced thin
• 2-3 medium carrots, sliced
• 8 potatoes, cubed
• 6 whole cloves
• 1-2 bay leaves
• 3 tbs soy sauce (tamari to make it gluten-free)
• Dash of Maggi or Kitchen Bouquet (omit this if  you’re gluten-free)
• 1.5 tbs black pepper
• 1 tbs salt

Directions:

1. Soak lentils overnight, rinse
2. Place in a pot, covered with 1 to 2 inches of water
3. Bring to a boil, let simmer 2 minutes
4. Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 30 minutes
5. Sauté diced onion, celery, and 1 tbs EVOO and set aside
6. Return lentils to medium heat; add carrots, potatoes, and more water to cover by 1 to 2 inches.
7. Bring to a slow boil
8. Add cloves, bay leaves, sautéed veggies, Maggi, soy sauce, salt, and pepper
9. Cook over medium heat, until potatoes and lentils are soft, about 30 to 45 minutes

Let us know if you give this a try! Your taste buds and tummy will thank you.