Granny's Easter Lentil Soup

It is called my Granny's Easter Lentil Soup, as it is a tradition that ran in our family over Easter time. My Granny was half Greek so this, and many other dishes were prevalent for a Good Friday meal. Usually, this is just a starter, the soup would be followed by the main course of grilled Kingklip, spinach and Skordalia (coming soon). Buuut, since I'm vegan I have had to change things up a bit. My Good Friday meal will consist of this Lentil soup, Skordalia and a creamy spinach and mushroom mix (coming soon). 

I never really liked Lentil soup because why would I want to eat something that looked like that?.. because let's be honest here, it doesn't look very appetizing. Fair enough, it isn't without all the toppings. But throw a bunch of lemon juice, onion and Oregano, and BAM, you have me hooked. I literally could eat this all the time, I mean I do, but I have to stop myself otherwise I would get sick of it. Lentils are really good for you, they are high in protein, meaning they will keep you fuller for longer. They are great for your heart health as they are super high in folate. They help lower your cholesterol, because of their soluble fiber. Speaking of fiber, I would suggest that you DO NOT eat this before a date... seriously! With the combination of raw onion on your breath and then the high fiber content, you may just be pooping your way through the date. No, but seriously, if you aren't used to having legumes in your diet, it could affect you, I would suggest slowly increasing your legume intake before huge amounts of it in a dish. 

Ingredients: Around 6-8 servings

- 1 pack of brown lentils
- 1 diced onion
- 2 cloves of Garlic
- 3 Celery stalks chopped
- Salt
- Pepper
- Water (amount as per the instructions)

Serve with: Oregano, Olive oil, fresh lemon wedges, chopped raw onion and green olives.

Method:

1. Combine all the ingredients, except the salt, and cook until the lentils are soft and cooked.
2. Only add the salt once the lentils are soft, otherwise, the salt will prevent the lentils from going soft.

Nutritional facts per serving of 6:
Protein: 8g    Carbs: 19.4g    Fat: 0.4g