Ingredients:

1 cup red (orange) lentils
5 cups water
1 medium carrot, grated
1/2 small sweet potato, peeled, grated (or one small new potato, peeled, grated)
1 tomato, blanched, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 whole bay leaves
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1/2 teaspoon dill seed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 lemons, sliced

Optional Ingredients (to make this a "harvest soup"):

1/2 yellow squash, sliced
1/2 cup corn kernels cut from fresh cob




Instructions:

Soak lentils in half or more of the water for at least 4 hours.
Coat the bottom of a 4-quart soup pot with olive oil
Turn heat on under pot.
Add garlic, carrot gratings, potato gratings to pot and stir in oil for 3 minutes
Add remainder of water (whatever isn't mixed with lentils) to pot.
Add bay leaves to pot and medium boil for 15 minutes.
Add lentil-water mixture and salt and cook for 10 minutes
Add blanched tomato (and optional ingredients).
Continue to cook until lentils dissolve (another 20 minutes).
Remove bay leaves.
Serve with a slice or two of lemon.


Serving Information:

Yeilds 6 cups, serves 8.


Notes:

NOTE 1: