Lusciously Lemony Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1  onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste 
• 1 teaspoon cumin 
• 0.3 teaspoon salt 
• 0.3 teaspoon pepper 
• 0.1 teaspoon chili powder 
• 4 cups chicken (Veggie or Chicken)
• 2  carrots peeled chopped
• 1  lentils cooked
• 2 tablespoons juice of lemon 
• 3 tablespoons cilantro leaves 
• 1 serving salt to taste

Equipment

• pot
• blender

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat.
2. When the oil is hot, add your onion and garlic and cook until soft; about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Cook until spices are fragrant; about 2 minutes.
4. Stir in the chicken broth.
5. Add in the carrots and simmer covered on medium low heat until they are soft; about 15 minutes.
6. Add in the lentils and cook until they are heated through (you can also use dried lentils. Just add in with carrots and let simmer for approximately 30 minutes instead of 15 minutes).
7. Once lentils are heated through, blend soup until smooth. This can be done with with either an emulsifier right in the pot or by putting the soup in batches into a blender.
8. Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro. Season with salt to taste. Enjoy!