Today was the first full day of fall, and boy it sure did feel like it.  Even though the sun looked warm the wind was sharp and cool.  I could have used a pair of mittens when we were walking the dogs this morning.

In honour of autumn I decided to make a soup for this week’s side.  To start the soup season off right I decided to try a new recipe.  I really like lentil soup, but don’t make it very often.  I was able to use green peppers and celery from my garden in this recipe, and with Al’s suggestion, I added poultry seasoning which gave the soup a nice peppery flavour along with the spicy flavour from the chipotle and chili powder.

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 green or red peppers, cored and chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 chipotle or jalapeno pepper, cored and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ¾ cups of green or red lentils
8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add onion, green pepper, carrots, celery, chipotle and garlic.  Cook for 3 -5 minutes or until onions are translucent and the veggies are slightly soft.

Add in lentils, broth, chili powder, cumin, oregano, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine.

Bring mixture to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 30 – 40 minutes or until lentils and veggies are tender.

Taste and add more poultry seasoning, salt and pepper if desired.

This recipe made eight lunch sides portions, Four 1 1/2 cup servings for Al and four 1 cup servings for myself.

Note: Since lentils soak up a lot of water, you might need to add a little bit of water to each serving prior to reheating if the soup is too thick.

I also made my Fresh Basil Pesto recipe today with the last of the basil from my garden.  Summer is over and most of my vegetable garden is finished now…(Sigh)…until next year.

Enjoy !

Mexican Lentil Soup