The Red, White, and Green

I woke up this morning to the scent of dill perfuming my apartment; evidently, the bunch of leftover dill in my fridge from a lovely white bean and grape tomato salad I made over the weekend proved to be quite the air freshener.

Dill doesn’t last that long in the fridge though, so in the spirit of Love Food Hate Waste, I decided to toss it into a batch of lentil soup I had planned for today’s Meatless Monday recipe. The result was truly scrumptious, and with a squeeze of fresh lemon at the end, added a fragrant summertime twist to an otherwise hearty, stick-to-your-ribs recipe.

By the way, dill is a must-eat for those concerned about environmental toxins; it contains special “chemoprotective” compounds that can help neutralize the carcinogenic benzopyrenes found in car exhaust fumes, coal tar, and cigarette smoke.

Add in the phytoestrogen-packed lentils (protects against breast cancer) and the lycopene-rich tomatoes (may fight prostate cancer), and you’ve got a bowl of benefits for men and women alike.

Dilled Tomato Lentil Soup

Serves 6

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
3 carrots, finely chopped
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups of water
1 1/2 cups dried French green lentils (du Puy, if available)
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
salt and black pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic; season with salt and black pepper and cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add water, lentils, dill, red pepper, and tomato paste. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 40 minutes until lentils are tender, adding additional water if necessary. Stir in fresh lemon juice and additional salt and black pepper to taste.

Voila! A week of cancer-fighting Meatless Monday lunches.

–Jennifer Grayson

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