Whole Family Nutrition

A wonderfully light, healthy, & scrumptious soup from the book Greens Glorious Greens.

Ingredients

• ½ pound mustard greens (2 to 3 cups)
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 ½ cups red lentils, rinsed
• 6 cups water
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon basil
• 1 teaspoon turmeric (or curry powder)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
• lemon juice or umeboshi vinegar, to taste

Directions

1. Wash greens and cut or strip leaves from the stalks. Discard stalks. Coarsely chop the leaves and set them aside.
2. In a heavy-bottomed stockpot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden and sweet. Meanwhile, chop carrots and celery.
3. Add cumin seeds to onions and stir for another 1 to 2 minutes until cumin smells fragrant. Add carrots, celery, lentils, water, thyme, oregano, basil, turmeric, and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Turn heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Add finely chopped mustard greens at the end while it’s still piping hot.

Note:

You can use chopped spinach or Swiss chard instead of mustard greens. Cook spinach or chard for 4 to 5 minutes.