Something I love about where I live is that I have a lot of friends and neighbors interested in eating healthy, and willing to share ideas and recipes. My friend was telling me about a lentil soup she made, and I thought to myself… hmmm I have lentils…that I NEVER use…I should try this recipe.

Well here’s the thing about lentils. They are a quick cooking legume. Most legumes take a long time to cook, but lentils cook fast. Having said that, this recipe tells you to simmer for a couple hours. I am not sure why, but I do know that I have made it WITH the simmer and WITHOUT, and I prefer the simmer. It made it a little more mushy. For some reason, I’m okay with a little mushy for lentil soup. Jodi on the other hand, isn’t okay with lentil soup at all, ever, mushy or not.

Another thing I really liked about this recipe, is that it can be completely shelf stable. In fact, I think I will assemble most of these ingredients into jars, and then have Jodi foodsaver them shut for me and use them as pre-made mixes. Maybe one day I’ll get my own Food Saver. Another appliance I thought I would NEVER need.

Using freeze dried veggies and spices in soups:

• No chopping. Seriously awesome
• If you store a variety of freeze dried veggies, you can make a variety of soups and change them up without pre-planning or shopping
• You don’t need to measure as much as the recipe says, since when rehydrated they will bulk up a bit
• You don’t need to rehydrate freeze dried veggies before making the soup
• If you are using a LOT of freeze dried items, you’ll probably want to watch the liquid and add more water in the pot while cooking
• Freeze dried spices taste just like fresh, have incredible flavor, and you wont throw away any leftovers from your fridge

So here’s the recipe. If you are wondering what the vinegar is for, so was I. I asked about it on our facebook page. You can see the answers and discussions here.

Greek Lentil Soup

Ingredients:
2 Cups lentils, dried
4 Cups cold water
1 Cup onion, chopped or freeze dried onions
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 Cups beefbroth
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 Cup celery, chopped or freeze dried celery
2 Cups tomatoes, stewed
1 bay leaf
1 Cup carrots, chopped or dried carrots
3 Tblsp parsley, Chopped or freeze dried parsley
1/2 tsp. oregano or freeze dried oregano
2 Tblsp. vinegar

Directions:
1. Wash lentils, drain well. Combine lentils with all ingredients except vinegar. Bring to a boil

2. Lower heat; cover and simmer 2 hours or until lentils are tender

3. Add vinegar and simmer 30 minutes more. Remove bay leaf. Serve soup.
Serves 8

-Jodi Weiss Schroeder
http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net