Sweet Potato, Red Pepper + Lentil Soup (makes about 5/6 portions)

Ingredients:

500g sweet potato

3 red peppers

2 red onions

150g dried green lentils

kasbah spices (about 2 tbsp)

1L veg stock, top up with water

1 wedge lemon

olive or avocado oil for frying

salt + pepper to taste

cashew creme (to serve)

Start by cooking the lentils. Place them in a saucepan, cover well with water and bring to the boil. Once boiling, lower to a simmer until the lentils are cooked. I would put a timer on for about 12 mins, then check regularly until just cooked. Drain and leave to cool - you can rinse with cold water.

Slice up the onions and red peppers removing seeds, stalks and skins. Add oil to a large saucepan and fry gently on a medium heat until they have softened and are just starting to brown, do not burn. Whilst frying, you can peel the sweet potato and chop into 2cm cubes, add to the pot when the onions are ready and cover with stock. Then add hot water until the veg is just covered and cook until the sweet potato is soft - this won’t take too long so check after 10 minutes.

One cooked, take off the heat and add the lentils + spices, squeeze in the lemon juice (about 1tsp) and add a pinch of salt and pepper. This will be very hot so for safety you could leave this to cool for a bit, and when ready whizz up with a stick or soup blender. Chances are you’ll need to add a bit more water for a good consistency so I like to use cold water at this point which reduces the temperature for tasting.

Once whizzed up fully to a smooth, thick but runny consistency - (however you like your soup!). Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Serve with some nice wholegrain crusty bread and some cashew creme. If you can’t find kasbah spices, you could try something warm and smokey like cumin and smoked paprika.