Why Madeline and I are friends...

Because I spent *my* Saturday night making lentil/pea soup to freeze and eat at work in the coming weeks.  My brownies were a box of cereal.  Mmmmmmm C6H10O5.

Herb-Tomato Legume Soup
{based upon "Gentle Lentil" soup from the Moosewood Cookbook}
2C dried legumes (lentils, peas, dal, whatever you've got), soaked overnight
About 2C each chopped onion, celery, and carrots
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 big can diced tomatoes
Fresh herbs, about 1/2C chopped - I use rosemary, oregano, and thyme
5 or 6 tbs olive oil
Kale or other greens if you've got them, maybe cabbage
Oh: and salt and pepper!!

• Rinse the lentils, then add about 6C water and bring to a simmer.  Add some salt now.  Simmer for 20 mins or so while you chop the other vegetables.
• Chop the onion, celery, carrots, and garlic into small pieces (helps with freezing)
• Coarsely chop the herbs and one of the garlic cloves and place in the olive oil to sit while the soup cooks
• Add vegetables while legumes are still al dente, about 20 mins in
• When the vegetables and legumes are tender, add the can of tomatoes, the olive oil & herb mixture and the kale or cabbage (chopped into 2-3" long, very narrow strips).  The herbs & greens will cook very slightly in the hot soup while you pop it into jars.
• Add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
• Using a canning funnel, pour into freezer-safe Mason jars.  Leave about 1" at the top so that your jar doesn't shatter when the soup expands as it freezes. 

Delicious!  And pretty easy to make, provided you don't chop quite as agonizingly slowly as I do.  I really need to take a "knife skills" class - that or actually sharpen mine.  Regardless, it's a pretty basic soup that's hearty, delicious, and freezes well.  Anyone who's been a co-worker of mine in the past 7 years knows this one well.