Greek Yogurt Soup With Zucchini, Lima Beans & Red Lentils#SundayFunday

The vegetables melts into a thick base without any cream. The red lentils give it enough substance to actually keep you full. The yogurt and apple cider vinegar at the end is elevates this soup and makes it interesting. That little bit of tang wakes everything up and keeps the soup from feeling flat.

The red lentils and blended vegetables, which makes this soup surprisingly filling without feeling heavy. Serve this with Soft Bread Rolls for Soup, to round out the meal and soak up every last bit of the soup.
Read My Notes before making this soup.

Ingredients
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion - roughly chopped
2 Large Red Carrots - roughly chopped
1 Medium Zucchini - roughly chopped
1 Cup Cubed Pumpkin - roughly chopped
1 Cup Fresh Lima Beans - boiled and blended
3 Cloves Garlic - minced
1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano
¼ Teaspoon Chilly Powder
6 Cups Vegetable Stock
1 Cup Red Lentils - rinsed
1½ teaspoons Salt - divided
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper to taste
1½ tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Cup Hung Curd / Greek Yogurt
Method

Boil the lima beans till cooked, cool them. Blend it along with the water, then strain it. Keep this aside
Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and all the veggies sauté for a minute Season with ½ teaspoon salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
Add the garlic and chilly powder. Cook for about 1 minute until fragrant.

Pour in the stock and the blended lima beans,red lentils and bring this to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until the lentils are fully cooked and soft, about 15 to 20 minutes stirring in between.
Turn off the heat and let the soup cool slightly. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Scoop out 1 to 2 cups of the hot soup and set aside.

Add the Greek yogurt to a bowl. Slowly whisk in the reserved hot soup to temper the yogurt.
Stir the yogurt mixture back into the pot. Add the remaining salt and apple cider vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve warm.

My Notes
Reheat gently after adding the yogurt to avoid splitting
This soup freezes well before the yogurt is added.
You can skip adding beans to this soup.
Cook the beans, then blend it and strain it. If you add it to cook along with the veggies, the bean skins do not blend into a smooth puree and instead leave a grainy or textured consistency in a soup, give it a rough texture and giving it a slightly gritty consistency. Skins give a awful mouthfeel / papery feeling on the tongue, when enjoying a creamy smooth soup.

Labels: Red Lentils, Soup, Lima Beans, Zucchini, Yogurt, Sunday Funday

For Sunday we are sharing recipes with Lima Beans

• Butter Beans Curry, Maharashtrian Sprouted Usal, Instant Pot Recipe by Cook with Renu
• Creamy Thyme Butter Beans by Food Lust People Love
• Greek Yogurt Soup With Zucchini, Lima Beans &; Red Lentils by Sneha's Recipe
• Ham & Baby Lima Bean Soup by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Pizza Beans by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Southern Style Green Lima Beans by Making Miracles
• Summer Squash Succotash by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Vaal Nu Shaak by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Why All the Hate? Recipes to Convert Lima Bean Despisers by Culinary Cam 

Egyptian Red Lentil Soup (Shurbet el-Ads)

This month in Mena's Cooking Club our host Amira  choose two savory dishes an Egyptian Musaqaa and Egyptian Lentil Soup. We could choose any one but I decided to make both.

The key to making an authentic Egyptian lentil soup is in the spices – the cumin is a staple in most Middle Eastern soups.

Ingredients
½  Cup Red lentils
1 Onion - diced
1 Potato - peeled and diced
1 Carrot - diced
1 Celery Stock - chopped
3 Cloves of Garlic - minced
1 Teaspoon Olive oil
1 Bay leaf
½ Teaspoon Cumin  powder or to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ Teaspoon Cayenne pepper (optional)
A teaspoon of freshly squeezed lime
A small Vegetable Stock Cube 
3 Cups of Water
Bread croutons

Method
Wash and soak lentils for 10 minutes.
Heat oil in a pan, sauté onion and garlic. Then add lentils, potatoes, carrots, bay leaf and chopped celery. Add the water, vegetable soup and bring it to a boil. Cover and cook till done. Then add the cumin, pepper and salt to taste. Stir well and taste to see if the spices need to be adjusted.  

Remove whole bay leaves and discard. Blend the soup to a smooth paste. Add water to adjust the consistency of the soup and transfer it back into the pan. Bring it to a boil.
Serve soup warm. Add freshly squeezed lime juice and Bread croutons.  

This soup is so comforting, smooth and creamy, with just a hint of heat.  

Labels: Soup, Healthy, Vegan, International Cuisine,  Shurbet el-Ads, Egypt, Red Lentils, Masoor Dal, Middle Eastern

Mediterranean Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients
1/4 Cup Red lentils ( Masoor dal)
1/4 Cup Rice
1 Medium Onion - chopped
1/2 Cup Carrot - diced
1/4 Teaspoon Turmeric powder
1/4 Teaspoon Cumin powder
1/4  Teaspoon Coriander powder
1/4 Teaspoon Pepper powder
1 Teaspoon Olive oil or Butter
4 Cups Water
1 Tablespoon  Parsley  - finely chopped
A teaspoon  lemon juice

Method

In a large pot add water, lentil, rice, cook on low heat for till the rice and lentils are cooked and soft.  Remove the scumb that comes on to the surface and then add the turmeric, salt, boil again for few minutes.  In another saucepan on medium heat, add the olive oil, onions and saute till brown. Next, add the carrots to the onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander and pepper powder, let it simmer on very low flame for 15 minutes. Adjust the consistency of the soup .

Serve hot with parsley ( I used dried parsley) on top and lemon juice. 

I sprinkled a pinch of cayenne pepper on the soup for a punch.  It tasted awesome.

Sending this to Mireille's, challenge cooking with seeds and linking it to Priya.

Labels: Cooking with seeds, Healthy, Continental Cuisine, Soup, Masoor dal, Vegan, Mediterranean, Red Lentils, Gluten free