Lentil Soup

This is a recipe from the Green Smoothie Girls 26 day detox...so yummy. I was surprised how good it was. I accidentally forgot the vinegar and it was great without it.

½ lb. green or red lentils
½ C wild rice, rinsed well
3 large onions, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 tsp. salt-free herbal seasoning, or more to taste
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. cumin
1 qt. vegetable broth (no-sodium, if you buy canned)
1 small can tomato sauce
2 tsp. red wine vinegar

Cover lentils and rice with boiling water and let sit for 15 min., then drain. In a large stock
pot, sauté the onions and garlic with the coconut oil and seasonings until the vegetables
are tender. Add the carrots and celery and sauté another 5–10 min. Add the vegetable
broth, tomato sauce, and lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Add
vinegar and serve.

Introducing...

Our new contributor...Carla!  Hey everyone I wanted to let you know Carla will be joining us and contributing recipes to this blog. Carla used to live right next to door to me until she and her family moved a few years ago. Anyways, she is a fabulous cook and I can't wait to try some of her recipes. Welcome Carla and don't be shy. :)

Rumbi Rice Bowl

Ingredients

1T sesame oil
4 carrots peeled and grated
3 celery stalks washed and sliced
2 heads of broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
2 zucchini chopped into small cubes
***These amounts are only a start off point. I usually add more than this so we can have it for lunch the next day.

* Thai Peanut Sauce
* Brown rice



Instructions

Heat large skillet on medium hight heat. Add veggies and Sesame oil. Cook until veggies just become tender.

Serve veggies over Brown Rice, topped with Thai Peanut Sauce

Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Soup

Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Soup

YIELD: SERVES 6-8

Note: You can use regular diced tomatoes if you don't have or can't find petite diced, but if you have the option, go for the petite diced. The smaller size of the tomatoes meshes better with the finely diced vegetables.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 (14-ounce each) cans petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup finely diced celery
• 1 cup finely diced carrots
• 1 cup finely diced onions
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1- 1 1/2 cups cashews or peanuts
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• Croutons for serving (homemade version here)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, celery, carrots, onions, oregano, basil, broth, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours until the vegetables are tender. **Don't be afraid to add more veggies than this calls for
2. Remove Bay leaves. 
3. Ladle in about 3-4 cups of soup into a high powered blender. If you want the soup chunky, ladle in mostly liquid. If you or your kids have problems with lots of veggies, I'd recommend ladling in lots of the veggies.
4. Add about a cup of nuts and blend until smooth. Once blended well, place the soup back in the slow cooker and stir. If you think it needs to be thicker repeat the process, but only add 1/2 cup of nuts. 
5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with homemade croutons.