Easy Vegan Lentil Soup Recipe
What you need:
4 cups vegetable broth (organic, low-sodium if possible)
6 cups water
4 carrots
3 celery stalks
2 cups lentils (washed and sorted)
1/2 of a medium onion
1-2 garlic cloves (depending on how much you like garlic - I used two.)
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon cumin
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
What you do:
1. Chop onions, carrot, garlic and celery.
2. Heat olive oil (if using) in a pan.
3. Saute onions and celery.
4. Put all ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do it's thing for about six hours.
That's it!
You can include the garlic when you start cooking everything else, but to receive the most healthful benefits from the garlic, it is better to wait until close to the end of cooking to add it.
When you are ready to add your garlic, chop it up, and then let it sit for about 10 minutes before adding it to whatever you are cooking. This allows time for allicin to form, which is the sulfur-based compound that is credited with most of the health benefits of garlic.