Red Lentil Mulligatawny with Apple-Celery Salsa

lentil mulligatawny soup
Originally uploaded by jensect.

Leslie - I'm so inspired by your soups, we went and tried a new one last night. this is from the lastest issue of Cooking Light, and it is GOOD! I am pretty sure I just used regular old lentils instead of red lentils, but it tasted pretty good anyway.

***
This rich, creamy soup will thicken as it cools. Thin with hot water, a tablespoon at a time, to the desired consistency. Lentils provide fiber, folate, and protein, as well as iron. The fresh topping adds vitamin C plus a dose of quercetin.

Salsa:

2/3 cup finely chopped Granny Smith apple
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Soup:

3 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup dried small red lentils
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cups light coconut milk\
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. To prepare salsa, combine the first 4 ingredients, cover and chill

2. To prepare soup, combine broth, lentils, and onion in a Dutch oven over medium high heat (I just used my regular soup pan); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until lentils are tender. Pour half of lentil mixture in a blender; let stand 5 minutes. Process until smooth. Pour pureed lentil mixture into a bowl. Pour remaining lentil mixture into blender; process until smooth. Add coconut milk, tomato paste, ginger, cumin, and turmeric; process until smooth. Return coconut milk mixture and remaining pureed lentil mixture to pan. Cover and simmer over medium heat 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 1 teaspoon juice, salt, and pepper. Ladle about 1 cup soup into each of 4 bowls; top each serving with 1/4 cup salsa. Yield: 4 servings.