Heidi's Lively Up Yourself Lentil Soup

Here is another keeper from Heidi, Lively Up Yourself Lentil Soup. How could I possibly resist a soup with that cool of a name? I have been waiting to try this soup for a long time, and the hold up was due to not being able to find black beluga lentils. She said that other types of lentils will work too, but waiting for these little guys was well worth it. I ended up finding these at Trader Joe's, in a pouch, precooked and ready to serve (still have yet to find them raw). One bag is enough to do a half recipe, and all of the other ingredients are also easy to cut in half. An added bonus to using the precooked lentils, it cuts cooking time down from about 25 minutes to 15 minutes total (you can't argue with that!).

Although Heidi mentions that she'll use either, I recommend using fire-roasted crushed tomatoes over plain crushed tomatoes. Don't forget the saffron yogurt drizzle, another extra special touch that is well worth it! I've posted the full size original recipe below, so if you go for the TJ's lentils like I did, you'll want to buy 2 bags or halve the recipe.

Heidi's Lively Up Yourself Lentil Soup
(from 101 cookbooks)

2 cups black beluga lentils (or green French lentils), picked over and rinsed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 28-ounce can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
2 cups water
3 cups of a big leafy green (chard, kale, etc), rinsed well, deveined, finely chopped

Saffron Yogurt
a pinch of saffron (30-40 threads)
1 tablespoon boiling water
two pinches of salt
1/2 cup 2% Greek Yogurt

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan, add the lentils, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside.

While the lentils are cooking, make the saffron yogurt by combining the saffron threads and boiling water in a tiny cup. Let the saffron steep for a few minutes. Now stir the saffron along with the liquid into the yogurt. Mix in the salt and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat, then add the onion and salt and saute until tender, a couple minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, lentils, and water and continue cooking for a few more minutes, letting the soup come back up to a simmer. Stir in the chopped greens, and wait another minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning if need be. Ladle into bowls, and serve with a dollop of the saffron yogurt.

Serves 6 to 8.