I tried to donate blood on Monday but was turned away because of low hemoglobin. So I’m trying to eat more iron. This soup has lentils, potatoes and swiss chard, all of which are good sources of iron. I soaked the lentils overnight before cooking them in the soup. This increases digestibilty and bioavailability of nutrients, plus it cuts down on cooking time.

Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard and Potatoes

2 tsp cooking oil
1 leek, split lengthwise and sliced (tender white and pale green parts only – however, instead of tossing the dark green part save it for homemade vegetable broth)
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 – 5 roma tomatoes (about 1 lb, not pictured)
1 tsp dried thyme
3/4 tsp ground tumeric
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup lentils, soaked overnight (I used golden lentils but green/brown would be the best choice since they hold their shape when cooked)
2 red potatoes, peeled and cubed
6 cups water
1 bunch swiss chard, chopped (I used rainbow)

Bring a pot of water to a boil. On the bottom of each tomato, score an x. Boil the tomatoes for one minute, drain and put them in a bowl of cold water. Peel and dice. The skins will come off easily. I had peeled chopped tomatoes in my freezer so I used those.

Heat oil over medium heat. Add leeks and cook until tender, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the garlic and stir for a minute. Add tomatoes and cook until they have broken down, about 5 minutes. Add thyme, tumeric, salt, pepper, potatoes and lentils. Stir well.

Add water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until potatoes and lentils are tender.

Add the chard and cook for about 10 more minutes or until it has wilted.

Taste and add more salt and pepper if you like.

Ingredients that were free of packaging

• Leek
• Garlic
• Tumeric – Bought in bulk at the health food store
• Thyme – Bought in bulk at the health food store
• Tomatoes
• Potatoes
• Lentils – I found these in my mom’s cupboard when I went home, and brought them back with me. I’m pretty sure I bought them in bulk in the summer

Ingredients that had packaging

• Cooking oil – There isn’t a store in Guelph that sells bulk oils.
• Salt – I bought this in a paper box but I’m going to get it in bulk when I run out
• Pepper – this is in a little plastic container, which kind of sucks because after I bought it I found out that the health food store sells pepper in bulk, and it’s probably cheaper too.
• Chard – This was pretty minimal. It had a rubber band and a plastic tag. I thought I might as well include it though.