Red Lentil and Swiss Chard Soup

Keep the cold at bay with this warm and comforting soup which is also happens to be incredibly healthy.

Serves 2

Ingredients
200 g red split lentils
1 vegetable stock cube
1 red onion
200 g swiss chard
1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 garlic cloves
1 lemon
1 bag coriander
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Finely chop the onion and garlic. Dissolve the stock cube in 1 litre hot water.

Heat a pot over medium heat with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Sweat the red onion for 2 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and fry for a further 1 minute.

Add the spices, lentils and stock to the pot. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes. If necessary, remove the froth with a soup ladle.

Slice the stalks away from the leaves of the swiss chard. Wash the chard and drain in a colander. Finely slice the leaves and slice the stalks on the diagonal into 1 cm pieces. Heat a frying pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil and fry the chard stalks for 4 minutes, add the leaves and cook for a further 2 minutes.

Blend the cooked lentils with a stick blender to a coarse soup. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the fried chard to the lentil soup and add lemon juice to taste. Pick the coriander leaves. Divide the soup between 2 bowls and garnish with the coriander.