Slow cooked lentil soup: from Good Morning America and Emeril's Slow Cooker Challenge

From the kitchen of Mary Sperling

Cook Time: Over 120 min

"GMA" put out the call and hundreds of viewers e-mailed us their super slow-cooker recipes. After thousands of votes, Mary Sperling's Lentil Soup was one of the five finalists in Emeril's Slow-Cooker Challenge.

Ingredients

3 carrots, chopped

3 ribs of celery, chopped

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, pressed

8 cups water (or vegetable broth)

2 cups lentils, rinsed

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground pepper

1 bunch kale, washed and chopped

Cooking Directions

Put all of these ingredients in the slow cooker. Set it on low if you are leaving it all day, high if you are starting it around lunchtime.
About 10 minutes before you are ready to serve the soup, add the last four ingredients.
You can add potatoes if you want more bulk. Add cubed potatoes at the beginning of cooking if you do.
Tomatoes are also good in this dish. Add one 14 1/2 ounce can of diced tomatoes at the beginning of cooking if you like. I don't use the tomatoes because my husband is allergic to them.
This lentil soup is everything people want now. It's loaded with nutrition, easy to make, inexpensive, delicious, low fat and vegetarian. As a mother of three and a graduate student, this soup is very handy.
The leftovers (even better the second day!) are a healthy hot meal I send in Thermos to school for lunch. My boys especially like the kale.
I once had a party at my home, and being concerned about having enough food, I threw this soup together in my slow cooker then finished the rest of my party prep. Surprisingly, this afterthought was the favorite food of the day!

Recipe Summary

Main Ingredients: lentils, carrots, garlic

Course: Appetizer/Starter, Dinner, Lunch, Soup

Slow cooked lentil soup: from Good Morning America and Emeril's Slow Cooker Challenge

Morrocan Lentil Stew

SERVES 6 (change servings and units)
Ingredients

• 1 cup dried lentils, sorted and rinsed
• 1 lb butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 10 small red potatoes, cubed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 8 ounces frozen cut green beans, thawed

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except green beans in a 4-5 quart slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours until lentils, squash, and potatoes are tender when tested with knife.
3. Increase heat to high setting.
4. Stir in thawed green beans, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes until mixture is thoroughly heated and beans are tender.
5. If you have a new, hotter cooking crockpot, cook on low for 6-8 hours until lentils and potatoes are tender.
6. If the recipe is 'mush' you cooked it too long. And always season food to taste.
7. The crockpot mutes spices, so you may need to add more curry powder and cumin before you serve it.

Morrocan Lentil Stew

Detox Soups

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup (Weeks One, Two, & Three)

• 1 tsp EVOO
• ½ C diced onion
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 12 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained and rinsed
• ½ C canned, diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• ¼ packet stevia
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Heat oil in pot over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté 5 minutes, or until softened. Add garlic, and cook 1 minute more. Stir in peppers, tomatoes, stevia and 1-cup water. Simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in vinegar. Transfer mixture to blender, and purée until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls.

Pumpkin-Sweet Potato Soup (Weeks One, Two, & Three)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 medium carrots, peeled, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice- or Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1/2 teaspoon curry powder- mild or hot, to taste
• Dash of sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 14.5-oz. can pumpkin (or 2 heaping cups fresh, peeled and cubed) or other winter squash
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled, cubed
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 2-3 tablespoons dry sherry, if desired
• 1/2 to 1 cup coconut milk (or plain rice milk), to taste
• Lime zest for garnish

In a heavy soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat, and sauté the onion for about 5 minutes until softened. Add in the chopped carrots and celery, and stir in the spices. Lower heat and gently cook for about 10 minutes, being careful not to brown the onions.
Add in the pumpkin, sweet potato and vegetable broth, and sherry; stir together. Cover and bring to a slow simmer, cooking the soup for about 25-35 minutes until the vegetables are very tender.
Remove from heat, and puree the soup with an immersion hand blender right in the pot; or puree it batches in a blender or food processor (carefully ladle the soup into a blender not more than half full, cover tightly and puree the soup until it is smooth and creamy; return the puree to soup pot). Taste and adjust the seasonings.
Return the pot to low-medium heat. Stir in the coconut milk and blend till smooth. Warm through for ten minutes.

Green Minestrone (Weeks One, Two & Three)
6 Servings

• Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 lb. leeks (white and pale green parts), well rinsed and diced (4 1/2 cups)
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 Tbs. water
• 6 to 8 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup sliced green beans
• 1 cup diced zucchini
• 1-cup fresh or frozen small green peas
• 1 cup diagonally sliced, trimmed fresh asparagus
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh basil
• 2 green onions, coarsely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced (or more if you like garlic, I used 3 cloves)

1. In large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add leeks, carrots and water. Cover and cook until the leeks are very tender, about 15 minutes. Do not brown.
2. Add 6 cups of broth and bring to a boil. Add green beans, zucchini, peas and asparagus. Simmer, uncovered, over medium heat, until vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.
3. In small bowl, mix parsley, basil, green onions and garlic. Stir into simmering soup. Add additional broth to thin soup if necessary. Season with sea salt and pepper.


Rustic Spicy Vegetable Soup (Weeks One, Two & Three)
4-5 servings

• Extra Virgin olive oil, as needed
• 8 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 heaping cups thinly shredded cabbage [bagged cole slaw mix is fast and easy]
• 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, cut up
• 1 yellow summer squash, cut up
• 2 zucchini squash, cut up
• 2 organic sweet potatoes cut up
• 1 4-oz. can chopped green chilies - mild
• 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1 teaspoon each of: dried basil, oregano and parsley
• Hot red pepper flakes, shake to taste
• 1 14-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 2 or more cups organic chicken broth, as needed (or vegetable broth if making for Week One)

Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil into the bottom of a Crock Pot or slow cooker. top with half the chopped garlic. Season with sea salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, combine the shredded cabbage, bell pepper, yellow and zucchini squashes, potatoes, and green chilies; and toss them with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Season with sea salt, ground pepper, herbs and a shake or two of hot red pepper flakes. Toss to coat.
Pour the veggies into the crock in an even layer. Pour on the diced tomatoes. Add the vegetable broth to taste. The liquid should just about cover the veggies. If you like more of a brothy soup than a stew, add more broth.
Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, Taste test for seasoning adjustments. Stir in any seasoning adjustments and serve.

Butternut Apple Bisque (Weeks One, Two & Three)

• 1 large butternut squash (3 lbs)
• 1 Tbs + 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 large red onion
• 4 medium cooking apples, cored and diced
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1-cup rice milk, or more as needed
• 1 tsp. coarse (kosher) salt, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper, or to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F. With sharp knife, cut squash lengthwise in half. Scoop out and discard seeds and fibers. Place squash halves cut side up in shallow baking dish, cover tightly with foil and bake until tender, 45 to 50 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, in large saucepan, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add apples, bouillon cube, ginger, nutmeg and 4 cups water. Mix well. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until apples are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Scoop out squash from shells–you should have about 4 cups of flesh. In food processor, puree half of the squash with 1/2-cup rice milk until completely smooth. Transfer to medium bowl. Repeat with remaining squash and 1/2-cup rice milk; add to bowl.
Transfer half of the apple mixture to food processor or blender. Puree until completely smooth. Return to saucepan. Repeat with remaining apple mixture and add to saucepan along with squash puree. Mix well. Add a little more soy milk if mixture seems too thick. Return pureed soup to a simmer over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until flavors have blended and mixture is heated through, 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in salt and white pepper and serve hot.

Gazpacho

• 1 English cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded
• 1 green bell pepper, cored and seeded
• 4 plum tomatoes
• 1 medium red onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, finely minced
• 3 cups tomato juice
• 1/4 cup tarragon vinegar
• 1/4 cup evoo
• 2 teaspoons of sea salt
• 1 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Roughly chop the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, and red onion. Place vegetables separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Be careful not to over process!

After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill at least 24 hours before serving.

Recipe from “Simple Substitutions for Healthy Eating” by Cindy Karas

Detox Soups