Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard

The Story: Well, it's inexplicably cold again. So I brought out my favorite winter soup recipes, and this one made me start drooling (just a little) in my mouth. Just like my dog Riley does, when she's on the way to the dump and knows she'll get a treat there. I've never seen a dog so excited to see trash get dragged out to the car. Anyway...that's probably gross.

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried lentils, sorted and rinsed
• 1 bunch swiss chard leaf, rinsed and roughly torn, touch stems removed
• 1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 red potatoes, washed, cut in 1-inch cubes
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, scrubbed, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed or mushed
• 5-6 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 2-3 bay leaves (I say the more the merrier)
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon seasoning salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

The Cooking

Place all ingredients in a 5 to 6 quart crockpot, stir, and cook for 4 hours on high or 6 to 8 hours on low. Or, just put it all in a pot and let it simmer for a looooong time. Lentils and other vegetables should be cooked but not overly soft. Remove bay leaves and stir around for a sec.

The Serving

Serve with some super multi-grain bread, toasted, with tons of unsalted butter.