Curried Lentil Soup

This is for all my dear vegetarian friends. This recipe is so tasty and so easy to prepare you almost feel a little bit guilty.... Not really! I am on this cleansing diet at the moment and lentils is one legume(?) that is very good for you in many ways. To prepare for this make sure you add some Tikka paste (Sharwoods) to your grocery list and some light coconut cream. This soup keeps for up to a week in the fridge and is great for a quick lunch or dinner. I added some brown rice to add texture and bulk for a more filling dish. Enjoy!!

1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup tiakka masala curry paste
270ml can light coconut cream
400g can diced tomatoes
2 x 400g cans brown lentils, drained, rinsed
3 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock. (I just used 1 massel stock cube and added the water)
1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
pappadums, to serve (optional)

1 Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in curry paste. Cook stirring, for 1 to 2 minutes or until aromatic.
2 Stir in coconut cream. Cook for 1 minutes. Add tomatoes, lentils and stock. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium. Cover. Bring to a gentle simmer.
3 Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until hot. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls. Stir through parsley.

Enjoy!!