Surprise Recipe Swap

I am so excited for this post!  I signed up to do a Surprise Recipe Swap.  One blogger gets paired with another and they each pick a recipe from each other's blog.  Thanks goes to Jutta at Hungry Little Girl for organizing this recipe swap.

I was paired with Elizabeth from The Law Student's Cookbook.  When I received my match, I immediately went to the blog.  I began scouring for recipes that I wanted to try.  After a while, I got lost in the blog (in a good way!) and began to learn about many different ethnic foods.  Elizabeth is a worldly cook, as evidenced by her Around the World in 52 Weeks posts.

If you want to learn about different foods from around the world, check out her blog!


Ultimately, I knew I had to narrow down the recipes and decide what a Sicilian girl like me was going to cook.  I decided upon Lentil Soup.  At this point I must confess that I have NEVER tried lentils!  I've always wanted to try them but haven't gotten around to it.  This soup recipe was quick, easy and a great introduction to a new staple in my house.

Here is the recipe:

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrot
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup, plus 2 tablespoons lentils
1 can diced tomatoes

Begin by chopping the vegetables.  Saute the chopped vegetables in the olive oil 3-5 minutes.  Add the canned tomatoes, lentils and vegetable broth.  Let that simmer for 35 minutes or so.  Take 2 cups of the soup and put in the food processor.  Return that to the soup.  This serves as a thickener.


This recipe is quick and healthy.  If you haven't tried lentils, you need to!  It is easy to find yourself in a food rut.  When that happens, find a recipe that will inspire you to try different things.  Thank you Elizabeth for helping me discover something new!