Spinach and Lentil Soup

For some reason I was brave enough to serve this as our main course tonight - that means no meat was provided along with it. I was quite certain Dave was not going to be too thrilled, but in the interest of cutting costs and not preparing superfluous items, I took the risk. Well, much to my surprise, he was not disappointed in our dinner selection for the evening.

When prepared exactly as instructed, I initially thought it tasted like cooked lentils in hot water (read: absent of any cohesive flavor). However, I added *salt* and a few (I think 1.5 tsp) more scoops of vegetable broth granules to kick it up. Those two additions, along with the cilantro at the end, succeeded in bringing the flavor. Thumbs up from Dave and me - thumbs down for Drew.

2 cups brown lentils
5 cups water
2 tsp. olive oil
1 med. onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
20 English spinach leaves, stalks removed and leaves finely shredded
(I just bought a bag of fresh spinach leaves)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. finely grated lemon rind
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
2 tsp. finely chopped cilantro

Place the lentils in a large pan with water. Bring to the boil and then simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Rinse and drain, then set aside. In a separate pan heat the oil; add the onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat until golden. Add spinach and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the lentils, cumin, lemon rind, stock and water to the pan. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Add the cilantro and stir through. Serve immediately.