Beauty soup

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 400 g mountain lentils, organic
• 6 bay leaves
• 3 liters of water
• 10 carrots
• 3 onions
• 3 leek(s)
• ¼ celery root
• ½ bunch parsley
• 3 garlic cloves, fresh
• 12 small potatoes
• 3 oranges
• Himalayan salt
• 6 grains black pepper
• 1 pinch(s) black pepper
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours

Orange lentil soup, very tasty and healthy

Peel the potatoes, cut into small cubes, lightly salt them, and place them in a small pot with a little water. Peel the carrots and cut them into thin slices. Finely chop the onions, leeks, and celery. Wash the lentils and place them in a large pot with 3 liters of water. Add the bay leaves, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat, stirring frequently to prevent the lentils from burning. Then finely chop the parsley and add it. Bring the potatoes to a boil. After about 10 minutes, add half of them to the large pot with the lentils. Finish cooking the other half, for a total of about 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, lightly fry the carrots, onions, celery, and leeks individually over low heat until everything softens. Add each directly to the large pot. Squeeze the garlic cloves and add them to the large pot with the lentils. Important: Fry everything individually, otherwise the carrots won’t cook properly and the onions/leeks/celery may burn. Then discard the potato water, mash the potatoes, and add them to the large pot. This will thicken the soup, eliminating the need to add any more cornstarch. Let everything simmer slowly for a long time, stirring frequently to prevent burning. After the soup has simmered for a good hour, juice 3-4 large oranges and add them. It’s best to simmer for as long as possible so that everything develops its full flavor. If you like it spicy, add cayenne pepper, chili, or other herbs. I always use a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, but I also like it extra hot. It’s best to add a little at first and then savor it. The soup is very healthy and ideal for people with iron deficiency, as the iron in the lentils can be absorbed by the oranges, which have a high vitamin C content. Not only does the soup improve your well-being, but you’ll look refreshed and healthier a few hours later and the next day—a real beauty soup. The soup does require a relatively large amount of time, but it’s really worth it.