Favorite Fall Soups: Red lentil and tomato soup with Apple and Indian Spices

I've been making variations of this Muligatawny inspired soup for a while, it is a big winner in my family. I love that it can be made with pantry staples, it's really tasty, and it's vegan. Even my dad (who hates anything curry) likes this soup, despite it's Indian roots.

Here's the latest variation in how I'm making this soup these days.

GET READY
Dice:
1 yellow or white onion
2-3 carrots
1 large apple
Optionally, you can chop up other veggies to add, like zucchini or bell pepper.

Grate:
1 TB ginger 
3 cloves garlic

Puree in a blender a few tomatoes, or open a can of diced or crushed tomatoes.

Open a can or box of coconut milk.

START COOKING
Saute the onion and carrot with olive oil and salt until it softens.

Add the apples and any other veggies and cook until they soften a little bit, 3-5 minutes. You can add a tablespoon of water if the pan gets too dry.

Then add ginger, garlic and the following spices, stirring for about 60 seconds until it is fragrant:
3/4 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
pinch black pepper

Now add the tomatoes (either from can or blender) and stir.

Add 1 C red lentils (masoor dal). If you need more water to cover the lentils (depends on how watery your tomatoes were), then add more water.

Cover and cook on a low simmer until the lentils are soft, 20-25 minutes. (or 9-10 minutes in pressure cooker) 

Finally pour in the coconut milk and warm through. Season with more salt if needed.

Serve over a bed of cooked basmati rice, or with cornbread.