Mexican Lentil Soup

As the weather turns a little colder, even here in mostly sunny Mexico, I tend to go for comfort foods and soups and stews are high on that list. There are so many different dried legumes available here and one of my favorites are lentils.

Here is my recipe for Mexican Lentil Soup:
1 cup dry lentils
2 cups water
1 Tsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped (about 1 - 1.5 cup)
1 cup celery, finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
Spices: 1/4 teasp tumeric, 1 teasp chili powder, 1 teasp cumin
1-3/4 cup chopped tomatoes (or 1 can)
2 cups of vegetable broth
1 teasp hotsauce
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Rinse and cook the lentils in 2 cups of water for 30 minutes. Do this first, then start chopping :)
In the meantime, saute onions and celery in olive oil for a few minutes, add garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the spices and cook for a few couple of minutes more.
~ At this point you can transfer all the ingredients to a crockpot, except for the lime juice and cilantro and cook on high for 4 hours - no babysitting needed! or continue in the stockpot and be done in another half hour ~
Add the vegetable broth, tomatoes and hot sauce and let simmer while the lentil are cooking. When the lentils are soft, add them to the stock pot and cook for another 15-30 minutes.
Taste and add salt and pepper how you like it, then add the lime juice and cilantro and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and warm tortillas - Enjoy!