Gestational Diabetes friendly, Iron boosting, Mains, Quick Lunch
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Warming Ginger and Turmeric Lentil Soup

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Okay, I admit, I think I over stayed my holiday time away from here, but I’m back! And this time with more energy than ever to bring you lots of exciting new developments on The Pregnant Chef platform. I’m kicking things off by giving you a recipe to the most amazing soup ever. I don’t say that lightly, I can safely say that this is my favourite soup. I make it at least a few times a month as it’s super easy, quick, and really delicious. Pretty much all of my friends and family that have come over for lunch or dinner have had this soup, and it’s always a huge hit! So, naturally, I knew exactly what recipe to share first after this long ‘holiday’.

A Perfect Winter Warmer

This lentil soup is perfect for the cold season, as it has lots of warming spices like ginger, cinnamon, and turmeric to leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, especially when it’s miserable weather outside. The lentils together with the coconut milk make a wonderfully filling, creamy and satisfying soup. Yet the lemon, coriander and garlic bring in some added freshness and crunch. If you’ve been reading the Pregnant Chef for a while, you’ll know how I’m big a fan of lentils, and I’m always recommending them to all the pregnant mama’s out there, as they are a great source of iron. By adding a bit of lemon juice at the end, the vitamin C will help you absorb the iron in the lentils. Anemia is very common in pregnancy, so I love coming up with recipes with ingredients that are rich in iron, so as to help you avoid or treat anemia during pregnancy.  Cinnamon is known to help with blood sugar control, and turmeric is a fantastic anti inflamatory, so it’s always worth thinking about ways to incorporate these spices into your diet! For those ladies out there who have been unfortunate enough to develop gestational diabetes, this soup will be your new friend. Not only does it help keep blood sugar levels stable, but with it’s high amount of fibre, it’ll help keep you regular. But believe me, once you’ve eaten this soup, you won’t need another reason to convince you to make it!

On a final note, this soup freezes excellently, so make a double or tripple batch to keep on hand for when you’ve had your baby or simply don’t feel like cooking. This recipe is also very forgiving, so if you have slightly more or less amounts of the ingredients listed, it’ll still taste just as good. So give it a try! And let me know how it turned out :-)

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RECIPE                Serves: 2+         Total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium onions (chopped)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 thumb size piece of fresh ginger (peeled and finely grated)
  • 3 garlic cloves (2 chopped or crushed, 1 sliced for the garnish)
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried chilli flakes (optional)
  • 2 medium tomatoes (peeled and chopped)
  • 250gr red split lentils
  • 200ml full fat coconut milk
  • 600ml stock (or bone broth)
  • 1/2 lemon
  • 1 small bunch of fresh coriander (roughly chopped)

Method:

  1. Place the chopped onion in a large pot together with the olive oil, and turn the heat up to medium low
  2. Allow the onion to gently cook (without letting it burn) for about 8 minutes or until soft
  3. Add 2 garlic cloves (crushed or chopped), together with the freshly grated ginger, and allow to cook for another 2 minutes
  4. Add the spices to the pot and let it cook for 1 minute, before adding the chopped tomatoes
  5. Allow the mix to cook for a further 4 minutes before adding the lentils, coconut milk, and stock/broth
  6. Simmer the soup, covered, for about 20 minutes, or until the lentils are fully cooked
  7. Using a hand held blender (or transfer the soup to a blender), blend until smooth. Add more water or stock if you find it’s too thick
  8. Season with salt and pepper to your taste
  9. Serve with a garnish of browned garlic (see below), chopped coriander and freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the garlic garnish (optional):

  1. Separately, slice the last garlic clove thinly and place in a hot pan with a little olive oil. Keep a close eye on it as you want the slices to brown but not burn, and this can happen quickly
  2. Once the garlic starts to brown, remove the pan from the heat, and serve on top of the soup

 

 

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