There is a beautiful little town in Idaho, right on the border of Washington, called Moscow (that’s “Mos-coe” not “cow”).  Brian and I drove through it on our tour of the Northwest a few years ago.  It was late fall and this little town of 20,000 was hoppin’!  They have a beautiful downtown, full of bike stores and dog-friendly coffee shops.  The University of Idaho is in Moscow and just eight miles away lies Pullman, Washington, home of Washington State.  These two towns are separated by a paved bike path.  How cool is that!?   

Moscow’s farmer’s market was unbelievable! We bought peaches the size of our heads…no kidding!  Moscow is a part of the Palouse region of the northwest, defined by beautiful rolling hills of wheat and lentils.  In fact, the Palouse is the largest lentil-growing region in the United States.  During our visit, those hills were literally golden.  It was a bright, clear day and the blue sky, golden hills, and peaches the size of our heads left us reeling.  We were in love with Moscow, Idaho.  Every time I use lentils, I think of Moscow. 

This lentil soup is a winter staple for us.  It’s spicy, full of vegetables and packed with protein.  It’s great as a stand-alone dinner or even better along side a toasty grilled cheese.

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Spicy Lentil Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil

 1 medium onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

5 cloves of garlic, you guessed it…chopped!

6 cups water

1 cup dried lentils

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes (I love those Muir Glen Fire Roasted guys)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

A dash of cayenne pepper

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, onion and carrot. Cook 5 minutes, then stir in bell pepper and zucchini.  Cook another 3 minutes and add garlic.  Stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes (until lentils and veggies are tender).  Season with salt and pepper.  Don’t forget to remove the bay leaf!

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