Lentil and Brown Rice Soup 6-10 servings
5 cups chicken broth, or more
3 cups water, or more
1-1/2 cups lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 cup long grain brown rice, rinsed
1 large can (28 oz?) diced tomatoes
3 carrots, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1-3 large stalks celery, chopped
1 Tblsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp crumbled dried basil
1/2 tsp crumbled oregano
1/2 tsp crumbled thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley (dried parsley is okay, just use less)
2 Tblsp cider vinegar, or to taste
Salt and pepper, if desired, to taste
1. In a large heavy saucepan or dutch oven, combine all ingredients through the bay leaf. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the rice and lentils are tender, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
2. Stir in the parsley, vinegar, pepper, and salt if desired. If necessary thin the soup with additional water.
I like to serve this with a crusty dense bread.
This recipe is very easy to make, it only requires opening a few cans and chopping things! It is very healthy and versatile too: high in fiber, low in fat (especially if you use defatted broth or vegetable broth), can be made very low sodium by using broth and tomatoes with no added salt, and can be made vegetarian/vegan. The rice and lentils combine to form a complete protein. It freezes well too.
from Jane Brody's Good Food Book, and she credits Gourmet Magazine.
