The Best Red Lentil Soup with Rosemary, Lemon and Feta Cheese

This is a delicious soup recipe chock full of protein and fibre. Lentils really are a super food and are a must have for any vegetarian diet. Also, a great change from the pre-race pasta dinner, lentils are amazing fuel for all you runners and triathletes out there! This recipe is from the Rebar Modern Food Cookbook - a great vegetarian cookbook from the owners of Rebar Restaurant, 50 Bastion Square in Victoria BC.

Did you know that Canada is the largest expoerter of lentils in the world? Most crops are grown in Saskatchewan and Southern Alberta.

Ingredients and Preparation: Serves 8

• 2 cups organic red lentils (PC brand is what I used)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 tsp salt
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 tsp cracked pepper
• 1/4 tsp red chile flakes
• 1 tbsp minced rosemary
• 2 tbsp minced oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock if not vegetarian, but then reduce the extra salt in recipe)
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• juice of 2 lemons
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tsp minced rosemary cracked pepper to taste

Rinse lentils thoroughly in a colander under cold running water. Set aside to drain. Heat oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat and saute onion with 1 tsp salt until translucent. Add garlic, carrot, pepper, chilies, herbs, bay leaves and remaining salt. Stir well and saute until the carrots are just tender. Add rinsed lentils and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered until the lentils are soft and falling apart. If you like, the soup can be pureed or left as is. If you choose to puree, remove the bay leaves first!    Season the soup with lemon zest, lemon juice and more salt and pepper to taste (the lemon is KEY so don't skip this step!). Before serving, top with the feta cheese, rosemary and cracked pepper. 

This soup is SO good. Make sure to try it!