Spiced Coconut Red Lentil Soup with Spinach and Fontina Cheese Bruschetta

By Ira

Spiced Coconut Red Lentil Soup with Spinach and Fontina Cheese Bruschetta

The Spiced Coconut Red Lentil Soup is adapted from Marcus Samuelsson’s blog. The good thing about this soup is that it cooks very quickly and easily.

The Spinach Bruschetta is adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis’ show on the food network.

Spiced Coconut Red Lentil Soup:

•  2 tspns coconut oil / butter / oil of your choice
• 1 medium onion chopped finely
• 1/2 inch piece of peeled ginger, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 cup red lentils, rinsed and sorted
• 1 small can coconut milk
• 3 cups chicken / vegetable stock
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• salt & pepper

Add the oil to a preheated saucepan on medium / low heat.

Fry onions

Add the onion and sautee, stirring from time to time, for about 5 minutes until softened.

Add garlic, ginger, and spices

Add the garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, paprika, and turmeric, and stir for 30s.

Add lentils

Add stock

Add the lentils and stock, bring to boil, turn heat to low, and let it simmer for 15 mins.

Add coconut milk

Add the coconut milk and test to see if the lentils are done (this depends on the type of lentils).

Soup is ready

If they are done, add the salt and pepper and adjust the salt according to taste.

While the lentil is simmering, you can prepare the spinach bruschetta.

Spinach and Fontina Cheese Bruschetta:

• Ciabatta bread
• 4 garlic cloves
• bag of baby spinach
• salt & pepper
• Fontina cheese, shredded with a coarse grater

Toast

Slice a loaf of ciabatta bread into thin slices. Arrange on a baking sheet and broil for a few minutes. You don’t want a deep golden color here as they’re going to go under the broiler again. Flip to the other side and broil again. Rub one side of the toasts with the cut side of a garlic.

Sautee garlic

Add a tablespoon of oil to a pan, add 3 garlic cloves thinly sliced, and stir for a minute.

Add baby spinach

Add a bag of washed baby spinach and stir until wilted.

Spinach wilted

Add salt and pepper, then arrange the spinach on the toasts.

Arrange spinach and fontina on toast

Top with shredded fontina cheese.

Just before serving the soup, put the baking sheet under the broiler until the cheese melts.

You will have extra fontina cheese but you can eat it with crackers for snacks as my kids did, or you can freeze it (we’ll be using it in other recipes).