In the words of Dead Prez in the classic vegetarian anthem, Be Healthy, “Lentil soup is mental fruit.” I couldn’t agree more! The quintessential fall/winter soup is lentil soup. Lentils are packed with protein and dietary fiber and do not have to be soaked prior to cooking (unlike other dry legumes).

I based my latest lentil soup on this Allrecipes.com Lentil Soup recipe. I didn’t have celery, so I replaced it with fresh green beans from my CSA. Instead of using canned, crushed tomatoes, I cut up several tomatoes from my CSA and threw them into the pot. It was a simple, yet flavorful and filling soup. The touch of vinegar at the end added another welcome dimension to the complexity of flavors.

This soup goes well with a mixed green salad and dinner rolls or crusty bread.

Overall, we’d rate this dish as 3 1/2 out of 5 carrots on the veganlicious scale!