Ingredients:
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup lentils, rinsed and drained
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 cups water or chicken stock
3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1-28 oz can diced tomatoes
open handful of potatoes - fingerlings or whatever, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2# of chard/kale/spinach, washed and cut into ribbons
salt ( I love Real Salt) http://www.realsalt.com
pepper
juice of 1/2 lemon, or a couple tablespoons of red wine vinegar
1-2 tablespoons cumin seed, dry-roasted in a frying pan until fragrant (stir/shake while roasting)
1 teaspoon cumin
Heat the oil in a soup/large pot. Add onions, celery, cooking till onions are soft. Add garlic and cook a couple more minutes. Add lentils and water or stock and boil gently until lentils are soft, 45 minutes or so, stirring every now and then.
Add the vegetables and cook until just before tender, about 20 minutes. Then add seasonings to taste. Serve plain, or add a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese or a dab of sour cream or kefir.
