Cravings and Addictions Begin Somewhere-- Healthy Snacks

Usually, I counsel patients on healthy eating and balancing their plate, eating enough vegetables, limiting sweet drinks, and daily physical activity. Oftentimes I counsel my patients on nutrition for specific disease states like Diabetes or cholesterol, but these days, I see a lot of obesity in adults, teens and children. The quality of the obesity is also getting scarier: I am seeing more patients with fatty liver issues(and a higher risk of non-alcohol-induced liver cirrhosis due to the fat content overpowering the liver), higher rates of diabetes in children, and higher rates of cholesterol and malnutrition. It is scary. I honestly believe the life expectancy of generations born in 1995 and beyond will have a much shorter life expectancy given the poorer average quality of diets and larger variety and availability of junk foods than previous generations.

So I'm hoping some healthy snack advice and great recipes might help.

If a sweet or creamy snack is desired, offer

• Smoothie made from blending 1 cup of low fat milk with 1/2 cup of fresh or frozen fruit
• Fresh apple slices dipped in peanut or almond butter
• Homemade souffle if you feel daring
• Fat free cottage cheese or yogurt with pieces of fresh or frozen fruit.
• Homemade sweet or savory baked sweet potato fries
• Homemade fruit chips you can dip in fat free vanilla yogurt
• Baked apple slices with cheese and honey
• Homemade candied nuts
• Homemade milk pudding, a family favorite for adults as well as the kids!

If a salty snack is desired, offer

• Pretzels with fat free cream cheese
• "Baked" potato chips with pico de gallo salsa
• Homemade popcorn with oil and spices instead of butter
• Slices of fresh fruit, jicama or cucumber with fresh spices (Hispanic around here use chile powder and/or lemon or lime, but Arab friends & family often feed kids the same veggies but with Arab-style spices-- zaatar (dried thyme & sesame), or cumin, sumac, salt and/or lemon)
• Homemade (savory version) baked sweet potato fries
• Whole wheat crackers with guacamole
• roasted peanuts or almonds
• Carrot, celery or broccoli sticks with light or fat free ranch dressing or guacamole 

*steps on little soap box, clears throat*
So, I find it scary that I've been seeing a 28 year-old mom regularly for 3 months now for diet management: her diet is weakened by her addiction to sweet and salty snack foods, and oftentimes replaces her meals with these. She has developed pre-diabetes, cardiovascular disease and the beginnings of fatty liver that are giving her blurred vision, night sweats, urinary frequency, unusual amounts of fatigue, chest pains, and scarily vivid dreams. Meanwhile, she still doesn't mind feeding her 4-year-old child top Ramen for lunch, Doritos for a snack on the way to see the dietitian, and after finishing the bag of Doritos in my office the child was promised ice cream if she is a good girl. Wait what? A junky treat after eating junk for lunch and snack?
I don't care if the child is thin, nor do I care if she will "burn it off," it is a poor quality fuel, and will cause problems internally after a year or two before mom even sees that child start to gain weight.
I know children should be allowed to be children, have an ice cream for a treat, have a candy with friends... I agree they should enjoy life rather than worry about what they eat. This is true.
Please, parents, if your child asks for something unhealthy and you know that they've eaten nothing but junk, then tell them sorry, not today, you've already had a lot of special foods today. You can have some in a couple weeks. Save the special food for a special day. If you do, that special day will be so much more special! They will understand if you spend 20 seconds explaining to them. Offer them a variety of healthy choices, like grapes, apples and peanut butter, strawberries, carrots, wheat crackers, yogurt, low fat milk or a string cheese, and give them the freedom to choose one of these healthy options they like best. If they are truly hungry, they'll eat  what is offered. If they keep begging, chances are that they aren't really hungry, they just want to see how far they can push your authority. They have the right of freedom to choose, but its your job to provide them with guidance of what to choose from. Please don't feel bad, they will get over it.
Your body deserves more than unreal snack foods that exist just to get you addicted. You are too good for that. You deserve better. And so do your children.
*steps off soap box, somber, deflated*

Moroccan Braised Lamb Shanks

When I get the itch to pamper myself, and a sincere itch to cook, I'll do something with lamb.  Its not easy to find fresh lamb meat, usually its frozen, and not often halal. But when an opportunity arises to get good, grass-fed fresh lamb meat, I definitely suggest you do it quickly. Lamb has a slight game-like flavor, similar to goat and deer meat, but it is a few degrees milder, but also lamb that is farm-raised is degrees less gamey than its grass-fed counterpart. I prefer to use lamb over beef in most dishes, including those with ground meat.

I love lamb because it has a heavy, warm flavor, that even after a bite I feel pampered when I need it most. It is rich and delicious.  But be forewarned, lamb is a very fatty type of meat. 

Lamb shanks as they begin to boil with water, browned onions, garlic, and spices. 

With my family's history of a lemon surplus, I even had to preserve a lot of my extra lemons. I adapted a method that I got from the whole foods store, and made my own recipe for preserved lemons here.
Combining my love of lamb with an overabundance of and passion for lemons, I made a beautiful braised lamb shank. This dish involves a lot of time and nursing. You can be passively revisiting your pot every 30 minutes or so, but you should be nearby. After starting my dish, I ran a few errands at the post office, came back to turn my lamb, responded to a couple emails, returned to turn the lamb, cut my vegetables, returned to turn the lamb, etc. If you start at 3pm, you'll have dinner by around 7-7:30. Do this on your days off from work! Otherwise, you'll eat dinner at 10pm and die from exhaustion! I paired the lamb with sauteed fingerling potatoes and my recipe for roasted beets.

This dish pairs well with rice flavored with saffron and turmeric(not pictured) or some pan-fried potatoes seasoned with allspice and roasted beets. 

Hang in there, if you don't like lamb but love lemon, I'll give you other recipes to make with the preserved lemons, like one with chicken & olives, or I'll have more on my post about preserved lemons.

Moroccan Lamb shank with Vegetables and Preserved Lemons
Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp saffron threads
• 1 tsp allspice
• 3 lamb shanks
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Preserved Lemon, thinly sliced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into coin shape.
• 2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced into half-circles

Directions:

1. Use a wide, ideally shallow pot for this dish. Lamb shanks are large and they should ideally sit flat on the bottom of the pot. For this dish I use a wok or large, 4"deep pot or skillet that has a lid.
2. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring constantly, until they become soft and slightly clear, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook about 2 minutes longer until garlic has browned slightly.
3. Stir in the four spices and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
4. Add lamb shanks, arranging in a layer on top of the onions. 
5. Add enough water to cover the lamb about halfway, then season with salt and pepper (alternatively, I use beef or lamb stock with black pepper and leave out the salt for a boost of flavor).
6. Bring to a boil, uncovered over high heat. Reduce heat to low, partially cover the pot, and simmer for 3 hours, turning your shanks about every 30 minutes to keep them moist. 
7. Scatter preserved lemon slices over meat and top with vegetables. Cover pot and cook until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
8. Arrange meat and vegetables on a large serving platter. Skim and discard fat from sauce, pour a little sauce over meat and vegetables, and serve remaining sauce on the side. 

Nutrition Facts for 1/2 lamb shank and 1c carrots and zucchini:
460 total calories, 7gm total carbohydrate, 5gm fiber, 27gm protein, 16gm fat
(1 Carbohydrate (1 NET carb), 3 Fat, and 4 protein exchanges

Roasted Chicken with Olives and Preserved Lemons

Moroccan food oftentimes uses warm spices like cinnamon and paprika to flavor dishes, but sometimes fresh fruits and vegetables are difficult to obtain. In this recipe using olives and preserved lemons, I'll showcase two common ingredients that, when preserved, will be usable even up to 2 years later. This use of preserved foods is perfect on a night when you don't feel like going shopping for ingredients, or just want to slap something together that is inexpensive and healthy. This dish cost me 8 dollars, excluding spices. :-)
So for my dish I first sauteed the onions with salt and pepper for about 10 minutes or until they were beginning to caramelize. Then I added the onions and sauteed them more. The smell of these two pungent friends was so powerful that I had to open the windows and turn on two fans.

The strength and flavor of organic onions and garlic is much stronger than the non-organic ones, and if using organic, you may get by with using less. In my opinion, more of these is always better. Open the windows before starting the cooking process. ;-)

After the garlic and onions are slightly browned and overly-fragrant, add your dry spices and continue to sautee for another minute or so. This fragrance will be even more wonderful. I like to make this dish when having guests for dinner. It provides such a wonderful smell to welcome your guests inside and make their mouths water with delight.
Add chicken stock or broth, add the chicken, and the diced skin of 1/2 of a preserved lemon. This is a great dish to make when not many fresh vegetables and lemons are in-season.

Thinly sliced preserved lemon, from a jar that I found in the back of the cupboard (over a year old, but ohh so delicious!)

Boil these together until the chicken is cooked, then strain the chicken, onion, and lemons out of the broth. Using the remaining broth, boil some diced potatoes for 20 minutes, then strain these and put them beside the chicken. In the remaining broth, boil lemon juice and chopped, pitted green olives until the mixture becomes slightly thickened. To serve, just pour the olive-lemon sauce over the chicken.

To make this meal perfectly balanced, you may place in half the plate a piece of chicken and some potatoes, and fill the remaining half of the plate with vegetables (adding some red tomatoes or orange carrots will surely entice your taste buds with a colorful display). The chicken will be so delicious you may want to go for seconds. Practice self-restraint by eating more vegetables instead. This will ensure your meal is well balanced, and not excessive carbohydrate or protein.

The recipe:

Braised Moroccan Chicken with Olives and Potatoes
Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, halved, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 cups low-salt chicken broth
• One 5lb chicken, cut into 8 pieces, skin removed
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Rind of half of a preserved lemon (recipe for preserved lemons here)
• 1 cup new potatoes (the lower starch ones), chopped into approx 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup green olives

Directions:

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sprinkle with pepper; sauté until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
2. Add garlic, and sauté for another 3-5 minutes. Add paprika, allspice, cinnamon, and cumin; stir 1 minute. Add broth; bring to boil. Sprinkle chicken with salt and seven spices; add to skillet.
3. Rinse one preserved lemon, discarding the pulp. Dice the lemon rind into fine pieces and add this to the chicken.
4. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter, straining the onions and sprinkling them over the chicken.
5. In remaining broth place your diced potatoes over medium heat. Allow this to return to boiling. Boil for 15 minutes or until potatoes are cooked through. Strain these and plate them alongside your chicken. In the remaining broth, add olives and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Increase heat to high; boil uncovered to thicken slightly, about 5 minutes.
6. Pour over chicken.

Nutrition facts for 1 piece of chicken and 1/2c potatoes:
390 total calories, 15gm total carbohydrate, 1 gm fiber, 19 gm protein, 13gm fat
(1 Carbohydrate (1 NET carb), 2.5 Fat, and 3 protein exchanges)

Shishbarak (meat dumplings in cooked yogurt sauce)

Shishbarak is originally a Turkish dish. It was named after the meat dumplings which looked like the large dresses of traditional Turkish female dancers when they twirl and sit down, allowing their dress to puff up behind them. Oh how pretty!
But to make these little dumplings is such a headache. I start cursing that the dough becomes too dry because I'm so slow, screaming if my dough breaks as I'm trying to stretch it over the filling, and playing loud music to drown out my sorrows of the yogurt beginning to separate because I stopped stirring it for just a moment. As I walk out of the house, scissors in hand, to go pick some cilantro from the front yard, the neighbors all give me shifty glances-- 'there goes that insane neighbor again, thrashing at her herbs.' (This just shows you how much they really know about making shishbarak)

Women usualy gather together to make this, creating a large amount of shishbarak dumplings quickly, making enough for 3 families. To make it by oneself is surely a task! A woman may devote an entire day to making it, preparing enough to have leftovers for her family for a few days because its so delicious but so time consuming. When its gone, its gone. The family may not get another batch for 6 or 12 more months because of its laborious process.

The meat is usually ground lamb, but a leaner meet like 97% fat free beef, ground turkey, or ground bison can also be used. Vegetarians may also use dried soy 'meat' for the filling, I find this dried in clear bags from the Mexican market nearby (they call it 'carne de soya'). The filling is made by browning pine nuts, sauteeing onions and meat together, then mixing the pine nuts with the meat mixture.

The dumpling dough is made from semolina flour (a type of grain used in pasta dough). We usually use the opening of a turkish coffee cup to cut circles from the dough that are correctly sized and uniform for our dumplings. I usually pre-cook the dumplings in dry heat like the oven so they don't become mushy jelly when I put them in the yogurt sauce.

This dough recipe can be used for making ravioli, cut into thin strips for pasta, or wide strips for lasagna. 

The glory of making one's own pasta is seriously unparalleled. But once I realized I could do it, the novelty of making non-unique forms of pasta wore off, and I continued to buy my spaghetti and lasagna in a box. From the store.  The specialty items like ravioli and dumplings I prefer to still make myself. I really don't like all the salt and fat and preservatives from the purchased ones. Plus, after baking them lightly to make the dough firm, you can always freeze the extra for another time.


You can also easily use fat free yogurt, though I use my 2% fat homemade yogurt, instead. I really don't think there's a comparable taste to the amazing cool, sourness of homemade yogurt.  The yogurt is cooked with corn starch to thicken, the dumplings are added, then sauteed cilantro and garlic are added to flavor the dish before serving it hot.

The recipe, as expected: 

Shishbarak: 

Makes 8 servings

The dough: 

• 2c semolina flour
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2c water

1. Mix the flour together in a bowl with some salt. Gradually add the water and knead together to form a soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let set for 30 minutes. 
2. Prepare your dough-rolling surface by dusting it with semolina flour. 
3. Roll out dough into a large, 1/8-inch thick sheet. 
4. Cut out small circles using a 1.25-inch diameter circle (I used the opening of a turkish coffee cup).

The filling: 

• 1/2c pine nuts
• 1/4tsp olive oil
• 1lb ground meat
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 tsp seven spices
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. Brown the pine nuts first in olive oil, stirring constantly over medium heat. This takes about 3-5 minutes. Be careful, they can burn in the blink of an eye!
2. Remove them from the pan, and in the same pan sautee the meat. 
3. Then add onions and spices and continue cooking until the onions become translucent. 
4. Remove from the heat and add the browned pine nuts, stirring to combine.
5. Place half a teaspoon of filling into each round circle of dough, making sure that the filling stays in the center of the dough. 
6. Fold the dough in half, making a half-circle around the filling, and pinch the edges to seal the half-circle.
7. Bring the endpoints of the half circle around to touch each other and pinch them together. 
8. Repeat this until you run out of dough and filling.
9. Dust a baking sheet lightly with semolina flour, and place the dumplings here. 
10. Bake the dumplings in the oven at 250 degrees F for about 20 minutes, or until they are firmer and slightly dry to the touch.

The yogurt sauce:

• 2 quarts fat free yogurt, or homemade yogurt, recipe here
• 2 TB corn starch
• 1 tsp butter
• 1c finely chopped cilantro
• 3 cloves garlic

1. Sautee the cilantro with the butter and garlic for about 10 minutes on medium heat until the garlic browns slightly. Remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Mix the corn starch into the yogurt, beating with a whisk or an electric mixer. Heat this in a large sauce pot until it thickens, stirring constantly so the yogurt won't separate.
3. Once the yogurt begins to bubble, add the slightly dried dumplings. Continue stirring constantly for about 5 minutes more. 
4. Add the cooked cilantro/garlic and continue to stir on low heat for about 5 minutes more, then remove from the heat.
5. Serve in bowls, garnished with a sprig of fresh cilantro or mint.

Nutrition facts for 1.5 cups of shishbarak containing ~6 dumplings:
370 total calories, 45gm total carbohydrate, 4 gm fiber, 28 gm protein, 8gm fat
(3 Carbohydrates (3 NET carbs), 2 Fat, and 4 protein exchanges)

Simple Summer salad

This summer has been lovely for my family's garden, providing us with some very large quantities of tomatoes, cucumbers.  Our trees are also dropping to the ground with lemons, so wherever possible, I'll add a lemon or two.
Our family grows these crops year after year without hesitation and I feel that they are some of the most important and common ingredients in Lebanese cuisine.
Plus, its hot here and I don't want to cook much... So I'll do very little, make my beautiful vegetables do the hard work of tasting delicious, light, juicy and refreshing, and I'll rest until its dinner time. :-)

Tomato and Herb Salad
Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 4 large tomatoes, chopped to large pieces
• 10-15 leaves of mint, sliced into thin strips (about 1/2 cup)
• 4 cucumbers, lightly peeled
• 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 1 TB olive oil

Directions:
Slice the peeled cucumbers into thin rounds and place them in the salad bowl.
Add to these the to the chopped tomatoes with the garlic, lemon and oil.
Chop the mint and add it just before serving to prevent the mint from discoloring.


Nutrition facts for 1 cup of tomato/cucumber salad:
45 total calories, 4gm total carbohydrate, 3 gm fiber, 0 protein, 1 gm fat
(0.25 Carbohydrate (0 NET carb), 0 Fat, and 0 protein exchanges)

Healthy Lebanese Kabsa

Kabsa is a dish made from braising and stewing meat with spices, tomatoes, onions and rice. Some people mix more variety of vegetables to make it more like a spanish paella or a rice-based casserole in a pot.
It is usually cooked until the rice absorbs the water and the Kabsa is dry. That, however is not my style.

First I brown some of the onion, adding a bit of grated garlic towards the end. Meanwhile I rub the meat in plenty of spices and allow it to marinade. The most common meat to use is lamb and traditionally it is made with larger chunks of meat, like whole chicken pieces with skin and bone, or lamb shank or shoulder. My family prefers chicken.  I used boneless, skinless free-range chicken breast that I cut into small cubes to allow for a more dispersed flavor and more equal quantity of meat in every serving.

We sear the meat with the onions and then add peeled tomato, some tomato paste and more spices. We then add the water of meat broth and cook until the rice is ready and has soaked up the juices. I usually add carrots and extra water (sometimes also yellow squash if I have it) to keep my kabsa soft and juicy. From start to finish, it takes around 1 hour. I use brown rice, making the cooking time almost double, and very lean chicken. I also use fresh lemon for flavor in the end instead of adding salt to the dish. If fresh lemons are not available, I may use half of a preserved lemon instead. The recipe is below.

Chicken Kabsa

serves 6

Ingredients: 

• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 TB olive oil
• 2lb chicken
• 2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 3 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 TB tomato paste
• 1c carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 cups brown rice
• 2.5 cups chicken broth or water
• 1 TB hot chili paste
• juice from 2 lemons
• 1 green onion chopped for garnish

Directions

1. Rub the chicken with the dry spices (cardamom, cinnamon, black pepper, allspice, paprika, cumin) and set aside. 
2. Sautee 3/4 of the diced onion with oil on medium heat in a large pot until slightly caramelized, about 20 minutes. 
3. Add 3 of the grated garlic cloves and sautee for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.  
4. Remove the onions and garlic from the pot. 
5. To the same oil and pot as the onions were in, add the spiced chicken and sear it for about 3 minutes on each side. 
6. Return the onion/garlic to the pot, adding also the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Mix these well with the chicken and onions. 
7. Add to this the carrots, brown rice and chicken broth and stir to combine. Boil on medium heat for 20 minutes with the lid on the pot.
8. Add the remaining 1/4 onion, and 1 clove of grated garlic. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook for 1 hour. Remove lid and continue to simmer uncovered for the remaining 15 minutes on low if the recipe seems more watery than you prefer.
9. Dish out approximately 1-1.5 cup servings for adults, squeezing lemon over the plate and garnish with green onions to serve.

Nutrition facts for 1 cup of kabsa:
255 total calories, 30gm total carbohydrate, 6 gm fiber, 20 oz protein, 6gm fat
(2 Carbohydrates (1.5 NET carbs), 1 Fat, and 3 protein exchanges)

Cucumber and Yogurt Salad

Cucumber and Yogurt Salad
Serves 6
Ingredients:

• 1 Pint plain, fat free greek yogurt, or homemade yogurt (get my yogurt-making guide here)
• 10 leaves of mint, sliced into thin strips (about 1/2 cup), may use 2TB dried mint instead.
• 4 cucumbers, lightly peeled
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 leaves of mint unsliced for garnish

Directions:
Mix the yogurt, salt and garlic in a salad bowl.
Dice the peeled cucumbers into very fine cubes and mix them with the yogurt.
Chop the mint and add it to the yogurt mixture just before serving to prevent the mint from discoloring.
Mix well and serve



Nutrition facts for 1 cup of cucumber/yogurt salad:
90 total calories, 12gm total carbohydrate, 2 gm fiber, 8oz protein, 0gm fat
(1 Carbohydrate (1 NET carb), 0 Fat, and 1 protein exchanges)

Lentil Soup

Lentil soup, otherwise known as Shourbat (soup) Adas (lentils) in Arabic, can make you feel satisfied no matter your quantity of hunger.
Nutritionally balanced even in its simplest form, the basic lentil soup consists of boiled lentils (providing for adequate protein and fibrous starch) mixed with browned onions, salt and pepper.

Some countries make it a tomato-based soup, others boil it with the bones of a chicken to impart flavor, while still some still vary from the basic recipe by adding a variety of vegetables like garlic, carrots, celery or crushed tomatoes. In many places where funds are low and food is scarce, some versions of the soup added rice or bread crumbs to the boiling lentils to increase the thickness of the soup liquid and improve their satiety.  In more affluent places, the creativity with the soup gravitates toward the use of meat in the soup like shredded chicken or red meats.  No matter the variety, the basic nutritional balance of lentil soup will satisfy hunger on a tight budget, and give the body the basic macro nutrients for survival. Plus, because of its well-rounded basic nutrition, it is great at the end of one's fast.

My lentil soup recipe that follows consists of just lentils, caramelized onions, water and spices. Most people like their soup pureed before serving to make the soup a more congruous consistency, but my family prefers theirs whole. As a teen, my dad would reminded me after each disastrous attempt at lentil soup, the secret to a great lentil soup is a to make it sweeter with a lot of caramelized onions.  Note the mound of browned onions in the picture. This one's for my papa.

One of my favorite versions of this soup involves adding crushed tomatoes (seeds and tomato skins removed), as well as cumin and a pinch of mustard powder. After mastering the basic soup recipe, feel free to elaborate with any additions, subtractions or substitutions you desire. Be creative! And let me know your results!

Lentil Soup
Makes 4 servings.

• 1 onion, diced finely, with 1/4 of the onion cut into long thin strings (for garnish)
• 1 TB olive oil for frying
• 2 cups lentils (brown or orange, or a combination of the two)
• 4 cups water (may use low sodium or homemade broth instead)
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp Seven Spices
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• Juice from 1 lemon (optional)

1. In an 8-quart pot on medium heat, warm the oil and add the onions. Stir them frequently, for about 25 minuets or until browned. 
2. Remove the browned onions from the pot and set aside. Keep any remaining oil in the pot.
3. Put lentils with water, salt and spices in the same 8-quart pot on high heat. When the water starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot, and allow the lentils to simmer for about 30 minutes until a lentil can be squished easily between your fingers. (If you want yours pureed, now is the time to do it-- use an immersion blender or allow the soup to cool 15 minutes before putting it in the smoothie blender)
4. Mix in the diced, caramelized onions, reserving the caramelized onion strings as garnish.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls, placing the caramelized onions on top for garnish, and a lemon wedge if your guest desires added flavor in their soup.

Nutrition facts for 1.5 cups of lentil soup:
202 total calories, 30gm total carbohydrate, 8 gm fiber, 16oz protein, 2gm fat
(2 Carb (1.5 net carb), 0.5 Fat, and 2 protein exchanges)