Meatless Monday

So to change things up, I decided to start reviewing recipes from Pinterest. Regardless of how the recipe was written originally, ALL recipes will end up being gluten free :)

I hope this helps some of you to a) be able to convert some of those popular Pinterest recipes, and b) know what recipes are worth trying!

For "Meatless Monday" I decided to go with Lentil Soup. Warm, comforting, and extremely healthy, it's a great choice for a vegetarian meal. Here is the original recipe (first seen on Pinterest).

Lentil Soup

• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes, with their juice
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed well
• 1 tablespoon wine vinegar (I omitted this)

Directions 

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, and bay leaf, and cook until vegetables begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes longer.
2. Add tomatoes with their liquid, breaking them up with a large spoon. Add water and lentils, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Just before serving, stir in vinegar.

I decided I should probably rate the recipes too. Why not, right? The ratings will be from 1-5 (5 being excellent) and it will be based on taste, sight, ease of recipe, and how kid-friendly it is. 

So how do I rate my first recipe? 5 for sure. The taste was wonderful; earthy and warm. It looked beautiful with all the colors of the vegetables mixed in with the lentils. It's a very easy recipe to recreate, and my kids gobbled it up! In fact, they both had seconds. 

Served with brown rice and a fresh salad, this makes a hearty and complete meal. Delish :)