Smokey Red Lentil Soup

Before I was vegan I used to make bacon and lentil soup fairly regularly. I honestly never missed the bacon but I did miss the smokey flavour that it added. Hence this soup was born, slightly hotter than the non vegan counterpart but that's never a bad thing to me! 

It's quite a thick soup which I like but it could easily handle and extra cup of stock being thrown in if you wanted to thin in out or make it stretch further.

Smokey red lentil soup

Makes 3 good bowls, 4 if made thinner.

Ingredients
2 carrots
1 onion
5 cloves garlic

1 cup red lentils

1 400 tin chopped tomatoes

3 cup veg stock (4 if you prefer it thinner)

1 tsp liquid smoke

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp smoked paprika 

1 tbsp maple syrup

Optional toppings:

Oatly creme fraiche 

Toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds

Vegan smoked cheese

Method

Rinse the lentils in a sieve and set aside.

Fry the onions and garlic in a saucepan in little oil over a med heat and fry until soft.

Add the paprika and cayenne and stir through.

Add the carrots and and fry gently for a minute or 2.

Stir in the lentils followed by the tinned tomatoes and stock and liquid smoke, bring to the boil, cover and reduce to a simmer for 20-30 mins.

Add the maple syrup, season to taste and blend. 

Toast the sunflower and pumpkin seeds in a frying pan for a couple of minutes and serve on top of the soup along with the creme fraiche and some grated vegan cheese.