Leek, Lentil and Love Soup

There's nothing more comforting than soup on a chilly Winter day.  Except for ice cream any day of the year!

This Valentine's day week I wanted to showcase a few recipes for soup.  This leek, lentil soup screams French.  I got the idea from a book called "French Women don't get fat".  Hmm, maybe I don't have enough French blood in me for that to apply!  But, the title caught my eye and it does have some interesting gimmicks (or truths) about warding off those pounds.

One is to incorporate leeks into your diet.  Evidently, leeks are a mild diuretic, quite low in calories and very nutrient rich.  That's good enough for me!  I'm convinced.  I wasn't quite ready for an all leek soup (just yet), so I added them to a simple lentil based soup.  The result was fantastic and incredibly easy.

So, where is the love?  As I was preparing this soup my son popped in to visit which is always a pleasant surprise.  And the love of my life came home from work a few minutes later.  We could all sit down once again for a family dinner, something we regularly made a point to do as my son was growing up.  It doesn't really matter what you serve as you break bread together.  The important  thing is to nourish your body and nurture your soul.   Warm soup and a wonderful family to share it with is a great combination!

Ingredients:
3 4-5 inch pieces of leeks (the white part, cleaned and chopped)
1 T olive oil
2 c reduced sodium/organic chicken broth
1 c water
1 c lentils
1 tsp herbs de Provence
2 T tomato sauce or chopped tomatoes (optional)

Saute the leeks in oil until soft, add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil and reduce the heat to simmer for about 40 minutes.  I added toasted rounds of french bread on the bottom of each  bowl and ladled  the soup over them.  This adds a more rustic twist to the soup.  Garnish with cheese and additional bread.  Lovely!  Serves 4