Sprouted Lentil Vegetable Soup

Sometimes you just want some comfort food, to me that is a good hearty soup. I do mostly eat raw, but sometimes I partake in cooked foods especially when I want to share a meal with others who do not want to eat all raw. I've been making homemade soups since I was a kid, I love making them from scratch. So, I decided to make some lentil soup, but I wanted to do something a little different. So I sprouted them first. The flavor of the broth reminds me a bit of Campbells Vegetable Soup, but much, much better, and with a bit of warmth from cayenne pepper.

So to do this you'll need to start a 3 to 4 days in advance to sprout the lentils. Lentils sprout fairly quick, you can let them grow longer like I did or you can eat them as soon as you see the tiny tails start to appear. I like them a bit longer. I have a large sprouting jar I found in a health food store with a screen lid. (you can also find them on Amazon for $5) Day one you want to fill the jar with lentils then add double the water, lukewarm, like you see in the image. Let them soak overnight. Day two, drain them and rinse them with lukewarm water and set the jar at an angle so it can drain. I put it at an angle in a bowl to catch the drain-off. You'll want to rinse them 2-3 times per day, you'll see the tails sometime around day 3. When they get to the desired size they are ready! The small jar in the image contains some lentils already sprouted. I keep them like this in the refrigerator and use them on salads. Here is a great write up on sprouted lentils. (The picture just above on the left is the soup after adding all the ingredients before it began to simmer.)

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. coconut oil
1 medium onion diced
4-5 garlic cloves minced
4-5 carrots sliced
1 cup of carrot pulp or ground carrot (optional)
4-5 stalks of celery with leaves, sliced
2 medium potatoes cubed
4-5 cups of sprouted lentils
1 large can of organic crushed tomatoes
1 large can of organic tomato sauce
4 cups of water (more or less)
4-5 bay leaves
1 tbsp rosemary
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
2 tbsp Himalayan salt or sea salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste
2-3 handfuls of fresh baby spinach

In a large soup pot melt the coconut oil and add garlic and onions and saute a minute or two then add carrot pulp and saute till onions and garlic are tender. Add in the sliced carrots, celery and potatoes and saute for around 5-10 minutes. If it seems too dry, add a splash of water instead of more oil. Then add the lentils, canned tomatoes and water. You'll want to have enough water to cover the vegetables by 2-3 inches. Then add the bay leaves, rosemary, salt and pepper. Bring soup to a boil then reduce heat to a slow simmer. Allow it to simmer slowly for 2-3 hours. Here is where I taste it to see if I want to add more salt or other spices. Once the soup is done add in the fresh baby spinach. It will wilt in the soup but not turn to mush from overcooking. Then serve and enjoy!