Lentil Soup with Chicken

So it’s been wacky weather the last couple of days here in Toronto. I’ve been accused of exaggerating from time to time, but this time is not it! It’s been rainy, cold, windy, sunny and crazy since Monday here.  On Tuesday, for instance, the day started with a little  bit of sun so it looked promising.  Then it suddenly got very dark and it started spitting out.  Then it got really cloudy and dark and it started pouring.  Not one hour later, it stopped raining, the sun started shining and it looked like the worst of it just finished.  Oh no, my friend, I was super wrong! The whole cycle started again – sun, clouds, rain, wind, sun, cloud, rain, etc.  If you’re a migraine sufferer like me you’ve likely been throwing up and walking into walls because the weather decided to make you dizzy and disoriented! Prescription migraine medication and advils have been my friend the last couple of days.

These rainy, cooler days make me want to have nothing but a big bowl of hot, hot soup.  And one of my favorite soups is the lentil soup from a Jerusalem Restaurant here in Toronto.  And I’ve been hunting for a lentil soup recipe for so long to duplicate Jerusalem’s soup, but I’ve not been able to find that exact recipe.  So one day, for family dinner, I voted to go to Jerusalem.  Bad decision.  We had to wait for about 1 hour for a table, was stepped on over and over again by these men and women who decided to all greet and kiss each other while waiting in line and had to inhale a combination of body odor, cigarette smell and musky perfume (hopefully not all from one person) while staring people down to eat faster and give up their table faster.  While in line, I happened to look up and saw on the wall a framed newspaper article of their, apparently famous, lentil soup! The hunt ended right there.  I took a picture of the picture, went home and made their lentil soup pronto.  I guess that bad decision to eat at Jerusalem that night turned out to be a very good decision.  To make the soup into a meal, I decided to add some shredded chicken from Rowe Farms and it was fantastic! So if you’re tired of the rain and need a big bowl of goodness, here’s the recipe for you to try:

Lentil Chicken Soup
 
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Recipe type: Dinner
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 3 tbsp olive oil or veg oil
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 and ½ cups red lentils
  • ½ cup Arborio rice
  • 7 cups water
  • 1 tbsp. chicken bouillon powder
  • ¼ tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tbsp chopped parsley
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 2 cups of cooked and shredded chicken
  • salt and pepper
  • lemon wedges
Instructions
  1. In a large pot, saute the onion in oil until lightly browned.
  2. Add the lentils and rice in a siever and rince them thoroughly under cold water.
  3. Add the lentils and rice to the onions and cover with 7 cups of water. Bring to a gentle boil. Stir occasionally and let it simmer for about 45 to 55 minutes or until the lentils and rice are dissolved and become creamy.
  4. Add the bouillon powder, salt, cumin, pepper, parsley and green onions.
  5. Add the shredded chicken.
  6. Let the soup simmer for 5 more minutes.
  7. Serve with lemon wedges.

 

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