De-Lentil-Ful

On Thursday we walked down again to the Husky Den to cook vegan lentil soup and to prepare our pizza dough for the afternoon. Never having prepared a fully homemade soup before, and being an avid Campbell’s ‘Soup at Hand’ sipper, I had my doubts before even stepping foot into the kitchen. However after splitting into smaller groups and seeing how simple the ingredients were, I began to have a little more hope. We chopped up all of the vegetables and simmered them in a large pot with water, adding red wine, vinegar, oil, and tomato sauce for flavor. After letting the soup sit for a half an hour, we proceeded to blend half of it in a food processor to create a creamier texture, and then we mixed it all together and served ourselves a bowl. After adding a little pepper and a lot of salt, the soup was delicious!

After consuming three and a half of our lentil soup I felt a little bit too full, but completely satisfied. Our lentil soup was the first time I felt I was eating a healthy, hearty, home cooked meal since I’ve been in college. I returned back to the dorms and read the handout we received in class, “Nourishing Traditions” by Sally Fallon. After reading that most restaurants these days do not even prepare their own homemade soup, I was even more pleased about the soup I had helped cook and consume.

Furthermore, Sally Fallon’s piece has inspired me to want to prepare a variety of home cooked soups. I had no idea that soups were so popular in other countries and cultures, from China to Russia to France, the possibilities seem endless. It was also encouraging to read how easy it is to make creamy soup, and while we blended half of ours for the sake of texture, I would definitely like to try making a creamy soup using the suggested cultured cream or piima cream.

Overall, my soup making experience was a positive one. I will never again doubt my soup abilities, and I think that whenever possible I will stray away from my Campbell’s and take an hour to make my own delicious soup!