French Lentil Soup with Cumin and Coriander

I love lentil soup. And despite what many recipes say, these delicate brownish-olive-green colored French lentils do not require hours of pre-soaking before you can cook them. In fact, this whole, hearty meal only takes 45 minutes to prepare. In spring when the weather is fickle and changes from sunny and warm to damp and cold, hour by hour, this is a flavor-packed, filling vegetarian dish you can serve as a hot lunch or satisfying dinner. All you need is a side of crunchy hot French bread to serve it with, for dunking.

Ingredients: (serves 4 hungry adults)

• 1.5 cups of french lentils, well rinsed
• 4-5 cups of broth (vegetable or chicken or beef, if you want to add a meaty element)
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  
• 2 cups of halved baby potatoes
• 2 celery stalks, cut into 1 inch thick chunks
• 1 cup of baby carrots
• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground coriander (which is french for cilantro but that's what is usually says on the spice labels here in the USA)
  

• 2 large bay leaves
• 1 lemon, sliced (for garnish)
• 1 large handful of fresh cilantro (which is coriander, by the way)

To prepare:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot, and cook the onion and garlic in this on medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add the lentils, 4 cups of broth, spices, and bay leaves, bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, add in the celery, carrots and potatoes, and the remaining cup of broth if needed to make sure all the veggies are swimming happily, and the soup is not drying up into a thick stew. Bring back to a boil, cover the pot half-way with the lid, and simmer until carrots and potatoes are done, about 10 to 15 minutes more.
Season as needed with salt and pepper, and serve immediate with a wedge of lemon, a garnish of fresh cilantro, and hot sauce as well as hot, sliced French bread on the side. Enjoy!