Old-fashioned French Lentil Soup

As much as I tend to eat a paleolithic diet which limits grains and legumes, I firmly believe that many people can benefit from the nutrients in these "forbidden foods" as long as they are properly prepared. While I only consume these food groups occasionally since I seem to do better with less, I notice a huge difference in my own digestion upon eating traditionally soaked and sprouted lentils and beans as opposed to canned or straight cooked varieties. Thus, I will give instructions on doing such in my recipe below.

Ingredients:

1 lb. uncured cooked ham or turkey, diced (omit for vegetarian/vegan version)

1 lb. dried lentils (French or green variety)

1 c yellow onion, finely diced

1/2 c potatoes, coarsely chopped (add extra for vegetarian/vegan version)

1/2 c carrots, coarsely chopped plus 1/2 c carrots, finely diced

1/2 c celery, finely diced 

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tsp fresh thyme, minced

8 c chicken stock

1 T garlic, minced

3 T grass fed butter

pinch nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Cover lentils with 2 inches of water and 1 tsp sea salt in a medium sized bowl. Soak 10-12 hours. Drain and set aside. 

In a large dutch oven or soup pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add the onions, celery and finely diced carrots. Saute around 5 minutes, until soft, stirring occasionally. Next, add the garlic and stir to combine.

Add the lentils, salt, pepper, and red pepper and stir for 2 minutes. Add the stock, bay leaf, nutmeg and thyme and stir. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the meat (if using), potatoes and additonal carrots and cook 35-40 minutes, until lentils are tender. Add more liquid if needed. Discard bay leaf and season with more salt and pepper if desired. Serve immediately.