Unexpected Visitors

Hussein and Nasser dropped by unexpectedly to our home as they often did. They were delighted to be ushered to sit down and have a bowl of hot soup. They made themselves right at home and it thrilled us to see them comfortable. When they left I sent two containers of soup with them for their wives. This soup seems to be a big hit with nearly any culture. They don’t need to worry about whether this food dish contains haram(forbidden by Islamic law) items as there is no meat in the soup. I often give a container of it to a Muslim friend who is sick at home or recovering from surgery.

Lentil Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seed
32 oz. box vegetable broth
10 oz tin condensed cream of tomato soup
4 or 5 cups water
2 or 3 carrots, chopped
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
black pepper, to taste
salt, to taste
3/4 cup orange lentils
1/2 of package of frozen chopped spinach (frozen boxed spinach)
1/2 of a 19 oz tin romano beans, drained and rinsed
cooked macaroni (optional - if added this is more like a stew)

Directions:
Fry onion, garlic, celery and cumin seed. Add remaining ingredients, except beans and macaroni. Cook until lentils are very soft. Now add the beans and macaroni. Cook until heated through. Serve and enjoy!

You might hear, “This is just like what we eat in our culture!”