Freaky Friday - Lentil & Dhal Soup

Snow in September?
It is springtime in Kwazulu Natal, right?

Unbelievable, but yes, temperatures plummeted this week, with heavy rain and winds along the coast, and snowfall in higher regions.
What made it difficult was that the worst snow fell the day school holidays began with thousands travelling down to the coast. Major routes were closed, even the N3 freeway, leaving thousands of motorists stranded and having to spend the night in their cars.

The warm hearts of the community came to the rescue as emergency services were stretched to the limit. We're hearing of community leaders opening up local halls to provide overnight shelter, blankets, and food donated by local organizations and individuals, farmers in tractors coming to help, and motorists sharing food and warm clothes. Some guesthouses along the way also offered shelter and food for the night.

Here at home, the rain finally stopped this afternoon, our rainwater tanks are full, and the pool is almost overflowing.
I thought calm had returned on the roads, but I learnt that a section of the freeway is still closed. Some motorists were able to take a detour, but it appears that others are still stranded.

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Soup came to the rescue here at home.
I used whatever I could find to make a simple Lentil & Dhall Veg Soup.
When there was a lull in the rain I dashed out and cut a few young Celery stalks growing between Lavender, Rosemary and other herbs in my little herb garden right outside the kitchen.

My soup base was brown Lentils and green Mung Beans (Dhal), with Durum Wheat Pasta Screws to make the soup a more filling and hearty meal.

Lentil & Dhal Soup Recipe

• 200ml brown Lentils
• 200ml green Mung Beans
• 1 Onion
• 2 Potatoes
• 3 Carrots
• small bunch of Spring Onions
• Celery - leaves and stalks
• Handful of baby Tomatoes
• 1 Cayenne Pepper
• 250ml Durum Wheat Pasta Screws
• Seasoning to taste or vegetable broth cubes

Rinse lentils and mung beans, and place in deep pot, or pressure cooker

Process the carrots, onion, and potatoes in a food processor (one can dice or grate them for a more chunky soup)

My food processor is almost as old as I am, but still does the job. A couple of potato chunks refused to be processed so I roughly chopped them into smaller pieces

Dice spring onions and celery

Add all vegetables on top of lentils and mung beans
Add pasta screws, vegetable broth or water, and seasoning to taste

Pressure cook as per instructions, or cook on stove top till soup starts to thicken
Serve with toasted sourdough bread and a vegan margarine or vegan butter

Bσɳ Aρρҽƚιƚ Fɾιҽɳԃʂ!

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It was a freezing cold night, and I kept on thinking of those stranded motorists unable to get to town centres having to spend the night in their cars, They would have welcomed a bowl of my steaming hot nourishing soup!

A kind neighbour called out of the blue last night offering us pancakes. It was the perfect end to our simple meal on an unusually cold September night!

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