Lentil soup with spicy yogurt topping

Yield: 8 Servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tb Olive oil

• 2 lg Onions coarsely chopped

• 8 ea Carrots cut into 1/2-inch Thick slices

• 2 cn (13-3/4 oz. ea.) chicken Broth

• 1 pk (1 lb.) dried lentils Washed and picked over

• 2 ts Ground cumin

• 2 ts Salt

• 1 ts Dried oregano

• 1/4 ts Ground black pepper

• 2 ea Bay leaves

• 2 sm Jalapeno peppers

Instructions:

seeded and Chopped Spicy Yogurt Topping (recipe Follows) 1. Heat oil in Dutch oven. Add onion and carrot; saute' for 10 minutes or until onions are slightly softened. 2. Add water to broth to make 8 cups. Add to pot along with lentils cumin salt oregano pepper and bay leaves. Bring to boiling skimming occasionally. Reduce heat to low; cover; simmer 45 minutes. Discard bay leaves. 3. Meanwhile prepare Spicy Yogurt Topping. 4. Puree 1 cup soup mixture in food processor or blender. Return to pot. Stir in jalapeno pepper. If soup is too thick stir in additional chicken broth if desired. 5. Remove mixture from heat. Spoon into soup bowls. Top with Spicy Yogurt Topping. Spicy Yogurt Topping: Combine 1 container (8 oz.) plain low-fat yogurt 2 T chopped fresh cilantro 1/2 t cumin 1/8 to 1/4 t ground red pepper and 1/8 t salt. Refrigerate for up to 1 week. Nutrient value per serving: 288 calories 17 g protein 6 g fat 43 g carbohydrate 1 030 mg sodium 4 mg cholesterol. Exchanges: 1-1/2 starch/bread 3/4 meat 1/5 milk 1-1/2 vegetable 3/4 fat. Source: Family Circle November 1996