‘Tis the season of cold weather and hot soup! I would like to share a recipe with you that is healthy, delicious, and literally cooks itself…in a crock pot! Chris and I absolutely LOVE this soup! Now before you get too excited about pulling out your crock pot, I have to mention that one of the main ingredients is not as popular as I think it should be. I’m talking about lentils! Being part Panamaian, this little round bean-like wonder(technically a pulse) is one of my favorites. Lentils are a great source of protein. In fact, of all nuts and legumes, they are the third highest in protein (remember that one next time your meat obsessed friends worry about you not getting enough protein). They offer a good amount of vitamin B as well as essential minerals like iron. They are low in calories and can even help lower cholesterol.

Ingredients:

-1 large yellow onion, chopped

-3 cloves garlic, chopped

-3 medium carrots, chopped

-2 celery stalks, chopped

-1 potato

-2 cups dry green or red split lentils, rinsed

-8 cups vegetable broth

-1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes

-1 teaspoon dried thyme

-1 bay leaf

-1 teaspoon ground cumin

-2 teaspoons salt

-1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

-1 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Directions:

Chop onion, garlic, carrots, celery, potato (I use my food processor to save time). Combine onion, garlic, carrots, celery, potato, rinsed lentils, vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, thyme, and bay leaf into crock pot. Stir. Turn on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. About 15 minutes before the time is up, add cumin, salt, pepper and red wine vinegar. Stir. Cover and leave it cooking for the remaining time. Serve and enjoy! Makes about 8 servings. Too much left overs? Freeze some!