Creamy Apricot-Red Lentil Soup Recipe

Creamy Apricot-Red Lentil Soup

Serves 4

30 minutes or fewer

This orange-on-orange soup vibrates with a vivid color and a subtle tangy-sweet flavor. Delicious hot, it is also equally good chilled. Makes about 5 1/2 to 5 3/4 cups.

1 cup hulled uncooked red lentils, well rinsed
4 cups nonfat vegetable stock
1 cup carrot juice
1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
6 large apricots
2 tsp. ground cumin, or to taste
2 tsp. garlic powder, or to taste
1 tsp. onion powder, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
⅓ cup toasted cashews, coarsely chopped, for garnish, optional
½ cup cilantro leaves, for garnish
½ cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped, for garnish

Put lentils and vegetable stock into a large saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pan and continue cooking for about 15 minutes more, or until lentils are tender. Remove from heat, and set aside.
Put 1 cup cooked lentils, carrot juice, yogurt, apricots, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper into a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Pour mixture back into pan, and reheat for 3 to 4 minutes.
To serve, ladle about 1 1/4 cups soup into individual bowls, and garnish with cashews, if using, cilantro leaves and apricots.