The Diet Diary

Lentil soup is terrific as an appetizer or a full meal. The lentils are high fiber, low glycemic and zero fat. They can count either as a protein (that is “meat or beans” in the USDA food chart) or as a carbohydrate (grain- starch). So, these fit into either a low fat diet (if you replace high fat meats) or reduced carb (if you replace breads!) The carbs are low glycemic, which benefits diabetics; some think it helps with weight loss.

And, no matter what, eaten as a soup, lentils are a very low energy density food, which makes them a perfect fit to the Volumetrics Weight Loss Approach.

Servings: 8
Prep time: 15 minutes.
Cook time: 1 hour.

Serves 12. Each serving gives you 1 1/2 serving of “meat/beans” and 1 serving of vegetables from the USDA pyramid. If you count your lentils as a carb, remember, it’s a high fiber low glycemic carb.

Ingredients
1 lb dried lentils soaked for at least 2 hours then drained.
4 cups cold water

2 Tablespoons olive oil.
1 lb skinless chicken thighs washed and patted dry.
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups chicken broth.

1 large onion, coarsely chopped.
2 large green peppers coarsely chopped.
3 garlic cloves, minced

1 (16 ounce) can tomatoes, chopped
1 12 oz package frozen spinach.
2 Tablespoons Italian seasonings.
1 t red pepper flakes.

Preparation:
You will need two pans for this: a deep sided frying pan with a lid, and soup or stock pot that is large enough to hold 12 cups of soup.

• Sprinkle chicken breasts with pepper. Heat deep frying pan over high heat, add oil. Brown chicken on both sides. (About 3 minutes a side.) Set chicken aside. Add onions to the frying pan, saute until almost soft (approximately 4 minutes). Add green pepper, saute 1 more minute. Add garlic, saute two more minutes. Transfer pepper / garlic / onion mixture to soup pot.
• Return chicken to frying pan. Pour chicken broth to cover chicken, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Lift chicken out of broth; set aside and permit to cool.
• While chicken is simmering, add water and drained lentils to the soup pot. Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Lentils should be soft.
• Remove chicken from bones and dice; add to soup pot. Stir in tomatoes, spinach, Italian seasonings and any remaining broth to the pot. Bring back up to a simmer and serve. Serve hot.