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Hello, my name is Stefanie, and I have a snacking problem.
This problem only rears its head this time of year in which desserts, dips, and appetizers are plentiful.
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For example, yesterday I was baking and baking and baking, alllll day. I just wanted to get done with it already, so instead of stopping for lunch, what did I do? I grabbed a handful of cherry tomatoes, the container of buttermilk ranch dip, and dipped and snacked in between batches of cookies.
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You might be saying to yourself, “What is so wrong with that? Sounds kind of healthy?”
Well aside from buttermilk, yeah it is kind of a healthy dip. But, what happens when I run out of tomatoes and still have dip left? I switch my batches of cookies and begin the search for more dippable things. Crackers, cucumbers, chips are all not safe from my carnage.
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Next thing you know it is dinner time and I have snacked all day, so I’m not hungry, but of course I ate anyways. Also was able to miraculously polish off about a cup of ranch dip. Thinking about it now, it is kind of gross.
Today is a new day. Lucky for me I have a ton of this super healthy soup (or as I like to call it, “redo soup”) on hand. This soup is so good for you, I feel like it can undo the damage caused by downing a cup of buttermilk ranch dip.
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Since I am baking up a storm, AGAIN, today I made sure to defrost individual portions of this wonder soup for a quick microwavable lunch in between batches of cookies and brownies.
I have a feeling we are all going to need a “redo” soup after the holidays are over. So, save yourself the trouble and whip this up now and freeze it, just as a precaution.
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Pound Peeled and Chopped Carrots
- 1 Large Sweet Potato, peeled and cubed (about 1 ½ cups)
- ½ Cup Diced Yellow Onion
- 2 Cloves Garlic, grated
- 2 Teaspoons Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Paprika
- ¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 1 Sprig of Thyme
- 3 ½ Cups Low-Sodium Vegetable Stock
- 2 ½ Cups Water
- 1 Cup Red Split Lentils
- Heat olive oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat for one minute.
- Add carrots and sweet potato to the hot olive oil. Sautee for 7 minutes while stirring occasionally. Add the onions and sauté for 3 minutes while stirring.
- Add garlic, thyme, and all the seasonings, mix well, and cook for two minutes. Add vegetable stock and water. Bring to a simmer, and cook with lid on until tender, about 15-20 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can add a few cups at a time to a blender and puree until smooth. Once the soup is smooth, add the lentils and increase the heat to medium. Simmer soup for 15-20 minutes until lentils are tender.
- Remove thyme sprig and serve when slightly cooled. Soup will last for two weeks in an air-tight container in the refrigerator or two months if frozen.
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