sick babies...

My son is sick. I took him to Los Angeles this last week to visit with family (of course forgot my camera on this trip) and then came down with a series of childhood illnesses all at once. I meant to post a whole bunch of new illustrations and collages that I have been working on, but have been busy taking care of my little man. So, I am going to post one of my recipes for a great comforting soup for all ailments!

Lentil Vegetarian Soup
Ingredients:
Spices (to your liking...but I usually use between 1-2 tspn)
fresh Rosemary
Fresh Thyme
salt to taste
Pepper
bay leaves (2 if Turkish, 1 if CA)
pinch of oregano
pinch of tarragon
7 cups either water or vegetable broth (if you use broth make sure not to add to much salt. I usually use half broth and half water)
3-5 tbsp olive oil
1/4 c. dry white wine
1 Shallot finely chopped
1 large leek finely chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 large can chopped tomatoes (are 4 fresh tomatoes finely chopped)
3 red potatoes chopped
3 large carrots chopped
4 celery stalks chopped
3 Zucchini
1 bunch spinach chopped
1 c. lentils

Saute shallots, leeks and garlic until they start to look glassy. Add spices and saute for about 1-2 minutes until it become fragrant. Add carrots and celery (you may need to add a little more olive oil) and sautes all on medium heat until the carrots start to looked cooked, but not soft. Add wine and cook down until you can no longer smell the alcohol. Then add the tomatoes as well as the broth/water, bay leaves and a pinch of salt and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Add zucchini and lentils; turn heat down to simmer for about 45 minutes. (If you only used water you will want your soup to cook longer so that all the flavors will come out). Check soup by tasting it to see if it need more spices or more cooking time. You want the lentils to be really soft but not falling apart. When you are almost done add the spinach and cook for another 5 minutes or so.
**you can make this with whatever your favorite veggies are and it is also really good with brown rice or bulgar wheat berries too!)**