New Book: The Vegan 8 by Brandi Doming

Image: Time Inc Books

The Vegan 8 Cookbook by Brandi Doming features 100 Simple, Delicious Recipes Made with 8 Ingredients or Less. Classic comfort foods are made healthier using real, whole food ingredients. No fake cheeses, no fake meats, tofu, green smoothies or boring salads! This is a book that you will find comforting, satisfying, filling and incredibly delicious recipes for your whole family to enjoy!

Here's a great recipe for Red Lentil Curry Soup courtesy of Time Life Books. Enjoy!

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Image: Time Inc Books

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup red lentils, rinsed well with COLD water
• 3 cups (720g) organic low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup (80g) finely diced red onion
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons (30g) red curry paste (I use and love Thai Kitchen brand)
• 3 packed cups of fresh spinach, roughly chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Optional: red pepper flakes and toasted slivered almonds

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add all the lentils, broth, onion, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper to a medium pot and stir well. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to the lowest heat and cover with a lid, tilted slightly to allow a small amount of steam to escape.
2. Simmer for about 10 minutes (set the timer) and then add the red curry paste and stir through. Cook about 3-5 more minutes until the lentils are perfectly tender. Keep in mind that red lentils are MUCH softer than traditional green lentils that have more of a defined bite, so if you prefer them to have more of a bite, just cook them less time.
3. Add the spinach and lime juice (start with 1 tbsp lime juice) and stir for a couple of minutes until all the spinach is wilted. Remove from the heat and taste. Add the remaining lime juice if desired and for a kick, red pepper flakes. The curry paste does give a nice mild kick, but I liked the additional kick of red pepper flakes. I would not add them if serving to kids, so they are optional.
4. For a lovely garnish and crunch, add toasted almonds on top. The flavor is amazing against the soup. To toast, simply add as many almonds as desired to a toaster oven and toast just a few minutes until starting to brown. Watch closely so they don't burn. OR, alternatively, add them to a small pan over medium heat on the stove and cook a couple of minutes, stirring often, just until browned.

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