Lentil Carrot Soup

So, what do you do when you're so on edge doing the grocery shopping 'cause of all the crowds of crazy people in the store that you take twice as long as you'd thought you'd take to get in 'n out and find yourself with only 45 minutes to make supper for six instead of a couple of hours? Will the pot pie you had planned with its twenty million things to chop and pre-cook - before you can even think of baking the whole thing - work? Of course not! So what is the answer to this problem? Lentil soup!

I got home in a total whirlwind, trying to get all the groceries in and get started on dinner at the same time. By the time I was in a place to pay attention to what was happening with the onions and carrots sauteeing on the stove the wireless was down and my phone was glitching, so I was totally on my own. Thank God, the soup turned out much better than I'd hoped it would and was a hit. (Although the baguette I had the foresight to grab at the store might have played a role in that ;-).) Amounts are approximate because I wasn't paying too close attention to what I was doing, so if you're nervous about putting too much of something in start small and then add more once you've had a chance to do a tasting.


Lentil Carrot Soup

Ingredients
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large onion (chopped)
3 or 4 medium carrots (thinly sliced)
4 to 6 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 1/4 cups of dry lentils
9 or 10 cups of water
1 tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon
1 teaspoon of parsley
1 teaspoon of thyme
1/2 teaspoon of sage
1 or 2 bay leaves
Lemon/pepper seasoning (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
Salt (to taste)

Directions
1) Lord, bless!
2) Sautee the onion and carrots in the oil until the onions begin to become translucent, add the garlic and lentils, and sautee another couple of minutes.
3) Add the water, bouillon, and seasonings and bring the soup to a boil. Once a roiling boil has been achieved reduce the heat and simmer - covered or uncovered - for 30 minutes. (More if possible.)
4) Serve with a nice baguette or other crusty bread (or even sour cream if you're not fasting!) and enjoy!