Such a delicious and easy lentil soup recipe from Melissa Clark and the NY Times Soup's On section. One of their classics, bright from the lime (originally calls for lemon) and earthy from the cumin. This one's a keeper - we ate the whole pot!3
In a large pot, heat the grapeseed oil and chili grapeseed oil. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste, cumin, salt and black pepper and sauté for 2 minutes longer.
Add broth, 1 cup water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then cover pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes.
Serve with lemon or lime juice and fresh chopped cilantro
OPTIONAL: Using an immersion blender you can pureé half the soup for a smoother texture.
Notes
We modified this recipe somewhat, by using grapeseed oil instead of olive oil, and fresh lime instead of lemon. We did not blend it, since the wonderful chunky texture was great! It cooked quickly within a half hour and tasted amazing! Drizzle some lemon grapeseed oil at the end for an even stronger citrus flavor!!!