Greek Lentil Soup

Makes?8 serves?

500 g green lentils2 x 400 g canned diced tomatoes?1 onion, diced8 cloves garlicBay leaves1 Tbs tomato paste3 Tbs olive oil2 tsp vinegar2 cups waterSalt and pepper to tasteBring lentils to boil for 5 minutes in water and drain.Put back in pan and?add all other ingredients. Cook for 30–40 minutes.Add salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time:?40 minutes
Difficulty rating: Easy

Tips

Serve with wholegrain bread for a fibre-rich meal. Wholegrain cereals like brown bread contain more fibre than their white equivalents. Fibre is an important component of the diet and helps the gastrointestinal system to digest food.Spread bread with low-fat cream cheese to add calcium to this meal and provide your teeth and bones with?important micronutrients. Dairy products like cream cheese are the best source of calcium and low-fat varieties contain the same amount of calcium as full fat equivalents. Spreading you bread with cream cheese is an especially good idea if you have increased calcium requirements, for example because you are a: Check the package labels on canned tomatoes and choose a brand with no added salt or sugar. Choosing packaged foods with no added salt or sugar is an important step you can take to improve your diet and reduce your risk of developing chronic health conditions like obesity, erectile dysfunction, type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome.Whizz the soup in the blender for healthy baby food.

This soup is made in Samantha's kitchen in Main Beach, QLD.

Nutritional analysis per serve:

For more information on nutrition, including information on types and composition of food, nutrition and people, conditions related to nutrition, and diets and recipes, as well as some useful videos and tools, see Nutrition.

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Lentil Burgers

Makes?20 burger patties?

2 cups red lentils2 large onions, finely diced1 large carrot, diced1 large red capsicum, diced1 small (500 g) butternut pumpkin, diced into large chunks3 cups vegetable stock2 tsp kasmiri korma spice mix 1 tsp olive oilSalt and pepper, to tasteAdd olive oil to a non-stick fry pan. Cook onion until lightly coloured.Add carrot, capsicum and pumpkin, and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until golden brown.Add spice mix and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for a further 2 minutes.Add lentils and 1 cup of stock. Stir well to ensure the mixture doesn't stick. Lower heat and simmer, gradually adding another cup of stock. Simmer for 15 minutes?or until lentils and pumpkin are soft. Add extra stock if required. The mixture needs to be moist but not too runny.Roll the mixture into patty shapes. You can serve them as is or dry bake them for 10 minutes for a crispy outer.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time:?45 minutes
Difficulty rating: Easy

Tips

Leave out the spice and whizz the patty mixture in a blender for healthy baby food.Serve in wholegrain rolls for extra fibre. Your gastrointestinal system will thank you as fibre is an important micronutrient used for digestion.Add lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes or other fresh salad vegetables to the rolls for a healthy meal, high in vitamins and minerals. All salad vegetables are good sources of micronutrients which help to keep your body healthy.Add a slice of low-fat cheese to your burger for extra calcium for healthy teeth and bones. Dairy products like cheese are the best source of calcium and low-fat varieties contain as much calcium as their full fat equivalents. This is a particularly good idea for people who have increased calcium requirements, including:

These delicious healthy patties were created by Megan from Lavington, NSW.

Nutritional analysis per serve:

For more information on nutrition, including information on types and composition of food, nutrition and people, conditions related to nutrition, and diets and recipes, as well as some useful videos and tools, see Nutrition.

View the original article here