It's a Snow Day - Time to make some soup!

It's been snowing for the last 36 hours in Montreal and it feels as though the city has been cast under a magical spell. It's beautiful actually, and it's the perfect kind of snowy day for staying indoors and making soup!

There's nothing like a warm bowl of homemade soup on a day like today. 

I made spicy red lentil soup and cheddar cheese biscuits... and now that my tummy's nice & full, I think I might crawl into bed for a long winter's nap!

Read on for the recipe....

Spicy Red Lentil Soup

1 1/2 Cups red lentils, rinsed

6 Cups soup stock

3 Bay leaves

4 Garlic cloves, chopped

2 Slices fresh ginger (about the size of a quarter each)

1 Cup grated carrots

1 Cup diced tomatoes

1/2 Cup diced red pepper

1 1/2 Cups chopped onion

2 Tbs olive oil

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste

2 Tbs fresh lemon juice

salt & black pepper, to taste

Combine lentils and soup stock in a large soup pot, along with garlic, bay leaves and ginger. Cover and place over high heat.

Add the carrots, tomatoes and bell pepper. Bring to a boil, stir and reduce heat to a simmer for approx 15-20 minutes (until lentils are tender). 

Meanwhile saute the onion in olive oil until soft and browned. Add in the cumin, coriander and cayenne. Stir and remove from heat.

Remove the bay leaves and ginger from the soup, then add in the onions and lemon juice. Season with salt & pepper.

Enjoy!