Life Enhancing Lentil Soup

I have a good supply of red lentils in my food storage, and like to find great recipes that call for them.  This Lentil Soup recipe from Dr. Amen is a delicious way to use red lentils, and very good for your brain and body as well.

I came across a PBS pledge drive program featuring Dr. Daniel Amen. Dr. Amen is a  physician specializing in Psychiatry, with an emphasis on brain imaging, and created a  diet and lifestyle plan which enhances a healthy brain.  He has several books out, including Change Your Brain, Change Your Body. I was very impressed with the PBS special, particularly since my mother has Alzheimer's disease. Based on Dr. Amen's experience working with ex-NFL players, he showed how the brain damage that occurred with injury, was in some part repaired with proper diet, exercise and supplements. I always knew, based on my graduate school studies and review of scientific research, that heart disease due to arteriosclerosis could be reversed, so I was intrigued about the possibility of improving brain function, and reversing damage to the brain.

I must say, that I am very impressed with his program. His nutrition advice is correct, which is hard to find with most physicians.

Today for dinner, I made his Life Enhancing Lentil Soup. I didn't have a red pepper, otherwise I followed the recipe as written.   It would have added some additional color and flavor to the soup.

Don't be concerned about all of the pepper and lemon pepper in the recipe. My husband and I loved the soup! My father came by and gave it a taste and enjoyed it as well.

For 212 calories per serving, this is a filling, delicious soup. It is easy to make, and takes all of 30 minutes on the stove. The recipe calls for more like 40 minutes, but you can turn up the heat a little and stir more frequently.

If you give this recipe a try, please let me know how you liked it by posting a comment.

Life Enhancing Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

• ¼ Cup vegetable broth for sautéing vegetables, or 1 Tbsp refined coconut oil
• 4 Celery Stalks, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 1 Carrot, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
• 2 Onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 Cups Water
• 6 Cups Vegetable Broth
• 2 Cups red lentils
• ¼ Cup brown rice
• 1Tbsp fresh marjoram, finely chopped (optional)
• 1 Tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped (optional)
• optional 1 tsp garlic salt (or to taste)
• ½ tsp curry powder
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp lemon pepper
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Preparation:

1. In a large soup pot, heat vegetable broth (preferably) or refined coconut oil. Sauté celery, carrot, peppers, onion, and garlic for about 5 minutes.
2. Add water and vegetable broth to pot. Stir in lentils and rice. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 25 minutes.
3. Stir in herbs, garlic salt, curry, cumin, lemon pepper, and pepper. Simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes, or until lentils fall apart and mixture thickens.
4. Stir in lemon juice.
5. Ladle into soup bowls.

8 servings

Nutritional Analysis

Per serving: 212 Calories, 37g Carbohydrates, 0g Saturated Fat, 562mg sodium, 14g protein, 1g Fat, 0mg Cholesterol, 9g Fiber

Recipe from "Change Your Brain, Change Your Body" Cookbook, by Dr. Daniel Amen