Cooking and Conversing: HWFC’s DEI Committee Shares Soup and Ideas
By Ruth Ann Smalley
On January 12th, a small but energetic group met up with a mission in the Co-op kitchen: to make a giant pot of soup to share with the community; to provide a space for people to talk about their wishes and concerns around diversity, equity, and inclusion; and to stock the Free Food Fridge in our parking lot with lots of servings of soup.
It was a warm and successful event, thanks to the helping hands of those who cooked, the attendance of those they served, and the folks who stayed to package up the soup for the fridge. The committee plans to hold another community event like this in March and welcomes all to attend. Stay tuned for the date!
Committee member Kathleen Standard adapted a lentil and greens soup from a Washington Post recipe (3/7/2020) and multiplied it to make about 40 servings. Her version here takes it back to family-sized amounts.
Greek Lentil and Spinach Soup
A fragrant, savory vegan soup! When paired with rice, it's a perfect protein, while serving up lots of delicious vegetables.
Ingredients
1 lb large green (not French) or brown lentils, sorted and rinsed
1 1/4 pound Yukon Gold potatoes (about 2 medium), scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 bunch kale with ribs removed, chopped, or 10 oz raw or frozen spinach.
1 lb of butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 ribs of celery, with leaves, sliced
3 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds (can sub ¾-1 tsp ground cumin)
2 1/2 teaspoons dried Mediterranean oregano
2 bay leaves
10 cups vegetable broth or water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fine salt, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (usually 1-2 lemons)
1-2 more lemons for slices and wedges
Directions
Sort and rinse lentils, leave them to soak in hot water for about 20 minutes while you prep vegetables.
In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine the lentils, stock or water, jalapeño, coriander, cumin, oregano, and bay leaves.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until the lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. (If you don't soak the lentils, this will take 30-ish minutes).
Add the potatoes, spinach, and butternut squash to the lentils. Re-cover and cook until vegetables are tender, another 15 to 20 minutes.
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil until it shimmers. Add the onion and cook, stirring, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the celery and garlic, and continue cooking, stirring often, until they soften.
Add the mixture to the soup. If there is fond in the skillet (the brown bits), deglaze it with a little bit of the broth from the soup, then add the deglazed contents back to the soup pot.
Final Touches
Remove bay leaves and season to taste with salt and pepper. Thinly slice one of the lemons and cut the other into wedges. Just before serving, stir the lemon juice into the soup. Serve the soup hot, with a lemon slice floating atop each bowl.
Enjoy!
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