Happy March 1st my dear internet friends! Today I have a simple and tasty soup for you! It's Lentil Vegetable Soup!!! Mmmmmm! I have been making this recipe for over a year now. It is one of my go-to soups, especially during the cold winter months.

This soup includes one of my all time favorite vegetables, leeks! I just think they are such a cool veggie. The first time I tried one was actually last year. It has a mild onion flavor. It's awesome in soups! If you haven't tried them before, I really recommend that you do :)

Like all soups, you can add whatever you'd like. And this soup is no exception. So if you have extra veggies lying around, add them! The more the merrier (and healthier). But I usually stick to the recipe because I like it the way it is :) It is simple yet flavorful. And it's a bit different than your usually bean chili or vegetable soup. It's really nice!

This soup is also incredibly healthy. It is packed with protein (from the lentils) as well as a lot of fiber! Fiber is great for heart health and weight management! It decreases the absorption of cholesterol and lipids, which is good for you heart and your weight! It is also very satiating, so you won't overeat!

This soup is vegan, but you're welcome to use chicken broth instead of water, which will give it a richer flavor. I'm not a vegan or a vegetarian, but I try to eat at least a few vegetarian meals a week. There are a lot of benefits to eating vegetarian! Lower saturated fat, lower cholesterol, more nutrients and fiber, to name a few. So try a vegetarian meal a couple times a week, it's good for ya! Plus, with this soup, you don't even miss the meat! ;)

Hope you all make this soup, enjoy!

• ½ lb French green lentils
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 2 cups chopped leeks, white part only
• 1 tbsp minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tbsp salt
• ¾ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 ½ cups medium-diced celery
• 1 ½ cups medium-diced carrots
• 6 cups water (or chicken stock)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste*

• In a medium bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and all to sit for 15 min, drain
• In a large pot on medium heat, sauté the onions, leeks and garlic with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme and cumin for 20 min, until the vegetables are translucent and very tender
• Add the celery and carrots and sauté for 10 more min
• Add the water, tomato paste and lentils and cover and bring to a boil
• Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until lentils are cooked through
• Check the seasons and serve