Staying Warm???

Man, it's getting colder outside and it makes you want to go NOWHERE real soon...

I decided to try a new recipe tonight that I had been wanting to make for awhile - Coconut Red Lentil Soup.  After a wonderful day with my roommate, dinner needed to be prepared and there was no way I was going out to the store.  Between the two of us we had all of the ingredients for a lovely at-home meal.

COCONUT RED LENTIL SOUP ~ 

INGREDIENTS: 

1 cup yellow split peas
1 cup red lentils
7 cups of water or vegetable stock
1 medium carrot, cut into 1/2 inch dices
2 tbsp fresh peeled and mined ginger
3 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp butter
8 green onions or scallions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup of golden raisins
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
2 tsp fine grain sea salt

cooked brown rice (optional)

Give the split peas and lentils a good rinse - until they no longer put off murky water. Place them in an extra-large soup pot, cover with the water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add the carrot and 1/4 of the ginger. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the split peas are soft.
In the meantime, in a small dry skillet or saucepan over low heat, toast the curry powder until it is quite fragrant. Be careful though, you don't want to burn the curry powder, just toast it. Set aside. Place the butter in a pan over medium heat, add 3/4 of the green onions, the remaining ginger, and raisins. Saute for two minutes stirring constantly, then add the tomato paste and saute for another minute or two more.
Add the toasted curry powder to the tomato paste mixture, mix well, and then add this to the simmering soup along with the coconut milk, cinnamon, and salt. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so. The texture should thicken up, but you can play around with the consistency if you like by adding more water, a bit at a time, if you like. Or simmer longer for a thicker consistency. The thicker this soup got, the more I liked it.
I've been enjoying big ladles of this soup over ~1/2 cup of brown rice. Sprinkle each bowl generously with the remaining green onions.
Serves 6.
Prep time: 10 min - Cook time: 35 min

I promise you will enjoy it!!

~ Knife Out 


Word of Encouragement: The reason we are all being disciplined is that we will know God is real.  Isaiah 45:22 "Only in the Lord shall one say, I have righteousness (salvation and victory) and strength [to achieve]."  Look to Him today.  We are over halfway through our fast and the most difficult time is right before the end or the completion of the fast.  Let's stay focused on the prayer points that we have chosen to lift up before God during this time.  There are many distractions that will come your way to try and throw you off track and get you to a place of not finishing strong.  They may come with an obsession about a particular issue that you have been praying for or it may manifest itself in a relationship, but  continue to look to God for your strength and the victory to finish STRONG.   These issues are futile compared to the glory that is to come.  Walk in love and walk in faith that God will bring to pass the very thing that you are believing for.