Lentil & carrot soup (and burgers)

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 8oz (225g) red lentils.
• 2 pints (a bit over 1 litre) vegetable stock
• 1 medium onion.
• 1 medium carrot.
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander.
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin.
• 1 teaspoon paprika.
• Fresh coriander.
• 2 slices of white bread (for the croutons).
• Slightly stale bread and plain flour (if you want to make burgers).

Method

Soup

1. Cover the base of a pan with oil and put on a medium heat.
2. Chops the onions and add them and the cumin and ground coriander to the pan. Cook gently until the onion is soft.
3. Dice the carrots and add them and the lentils to the pan.
4. Add the water, and bring to the boil.
5. Reduce to a simmer, and add the paprika.
6. Simmer for around 30-40 minutes until the lentils have turned to much. Keep tasting throughout and add more spices if you like.
7. Use a blender to turn the soup into a smooth consistency. You can add more water if it's too thick, or cook it for longer if it's too thin.
8. Add chopped fresh coriander as a garnish.

Croutons

1. Cut a the bread into 1-2cm cubes.
2. Coat a frying pan with oil and put on a medium-hot heat. You'll know when the oil is hot enough by holding a piece of bread in it for 1-2 seconds. If the oil bubbles, it's hot enough.
3. Put the bread into the frying pan. Turn regularly. When it's crispy brown, it's done.

That's it. Done! Serve the soup with croutons. It's also excellent with more bread!

Burgers

It's dead easy to turn any left over soup into burgers. Use a blender to turn bread (slightly stale works best) into breadcrumbs. Combine that with the soup (I can't give quantities as I've only ever done it by eye). Shape the mix into small burger shapes and coat with flour. Shallow fry the burgers until they're brown. The burgers are normally quite crumbly, though delicious!

General vegan cooking tips