Michelle's Freefrom Carrot and Lentil Soup

A real North African soup with lots of flavour. You can leave the garlic out, if you cannot eat it, and it will still taste good.
The crumbled bacon (or Redwood’s crumbled ‘cheatin' rashers’) add extra flavour although they are straying somewhat from the soup’s ethnic origins!

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
  
• 4 large cloves garlic peeled and sliced (optional)
  
• 2 heaped tsp ground cumin
  
• ½ level tsp ground coriander
  
• 400g / 14 oz carrots, scrubbed and sliced
  
• 300g / 11 oz red lentils
  
• 1.3 litres / 44fl oz gluten/wheat-free vegetable stock
  
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  
• juice 1–2 lemons
  
• 4–6 rashers (slices) bacon, chopped small and briskly fried till crisp (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oil in a heavy pan and add the garlic, cumin and coriander. Stir and cook for a minute or two taking great care that it does not burn.
   Add the carrots and continue to cook gently for a further 5 minutes.
   Add the lentils and the stock, bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 35–40 minutes or until the carrots are quite cooked.
   Purée in a processor or liquidiser and adjust the seasoning to taste.
   To serve, reheat, add lemon juice to taste and sprinkle with the bacon (or cheatin’ rashers) bits.
   

Serves 6 – per portion
317cals - 23g protein
17g total fat – 2.5g sat / 6g mono / 1.5g poly
33g carbohydrate of which 7g sugar
4g fibre – 245mg sodium / 1.7g salt
43mg calcium

Good Source of: Vitamin B1, B6, iron & zinc

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