Staple: Lentil Spinach Soup

There are a few recipes that everyone should have under their belt so that in a pinch you can whip up something delicious. 

Lentil soup is definitely one of these recipes.  Whenever I make it I don't follow an exact recipe, but this is pretty close.  you can always switch up the vegetables to suit your tastes.

Ingredients

• 2 cups dry lentils
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 6 cups water
• 1 sweet onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3-5 cups baby spinach
• 2 carrots

Directions

1.  Rinse and drain the lentils.  Boil the vegetable broth and water.  Add lentils to the pot.  Cover and cook for about 5 minutes.
2. Chop the carrots into small cubes and add them to the pot.  Chop up garlic and add.  Give it a quick stir and replace lid to cook for another 20 minutes.
3. Slice the onion and add it to the pot along with the spinach.  Cook another 5-10 minutes or until the soup is thick.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.

If you want mushrooms, add mushrooms.  Tomato?  Add tomato.  The great thing about lentils is that they give you protein and energy.  Not to mention that they taste great, are colorful, and are so versatile.
Just one cup of cooked lentils will give you almost 40% of your iron and your protein for the day.
Not to mention 25% of vitamin B1.  And hey, it's a legume which means tons of fiber.  When you have such a restrictive diet it's really important to find foods that can get you a good amount of what you need.  Lentils deliver.

*Shira's variation: In my world, carrots are meant to be raw or juiced. If you're cool like me, you drop the carrots and add button mushrooms instead. I think I add the mushrooms in with the onions, which I'm pretty sure I do earlier than stated in Sarah's recipe. I'll have to test it out and edit this later :)