Red Pepper Soup

Or: How I Wish My Garden Would Hurry Up and Make Bell Peppers Already

Red bell-peppers are easily one of my favorite vegetables, mostly for their versatility. I can toss them into salads, tacos, burritos or (in this case) a scrumptious soup. I modified an recipe I found online because 1. I wanted to make it vegan and 2. I have a rather rebellious streak in the kitchen. I really like the addition of lentils to this soup because it gives it some protein. I should also note that I about tripled the original recipe because well... I wanted to.

Spicy Red Pepper Soup

6 red bell peppers

2 carrots

1 onion

2 tablespoons oil (I'm on a coconut oil kick, so I used that... olive oil would work fine)

A shake or so of crushed red pepper (depending on how spicy you like your soup)

2 cloves minced garlic

2 cups veggie stock

The first step is charring the bell peppers. I did mine right on my stove:

If you have an electric stove, this will also work with a broiler. Just be careful as you're pulling the peppers in and out to turn them over... I scarred my arm in what will be remembered as the "creme brulee catastrophe of 2011." Really, the creme brulee was fine. My arm was not. Once you've evenly charred the outside of the peppers, stick them in an airtight container to allow the steam to continue to cook them while you do the next few steps.

Heat your oil of choice in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onions (finely chopped) to the hot oil, and sautee until they are translucent. Add the carrots (diced) and cook until soft. Now add the minced garlic. BE SURE NOT TO BURN YOUR GARLIC. Seriously. Burned garlic has a very... distinct taste that will overpower your entire dish. This is when I added in my pepper flakes.

By this point your entire kitchen should be smelling delicious. So now is the time to slice and dice those charred bell peppers. You can either remove the skin (it should come off relatively easily with a little bit of love-rubbing... get your mind out of the gutter) or leave it on. I personally left the skin. Add these to the pot along with the veggie stock and lentils. Bring to a boil, then let this simmer for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are soft.

Allow this to cool, then transfer to a blender to puree. If you don't allow this to cool because it smells too delicious and you want to consume it, be aware that the top will probably be forced off of the blender by the steam and you will be burned in the process. Don't say I didn't tell you so. After this was done, I seasoned mine with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Viola! Now you have soup. I topped mine with avocado because... well... who doesn't love avocado. Enjoy, loves! I have some soup to ingest.