Red Lentil Soup with Green Beans

I picked my first handful of stringbeans from my garden today, and that is what inspired tonight's dinner.  I was looking for something quick, easy, and of course made with ingredients I had on hand.  It was a day for relaxing, after all.

I decided on a Red Lentil and Jasmine Rice Soup similar to dal, but less complicated.  People always ask me for recipes and when I honestly tell them I generally don't use any, I think they must either think I'm lying or protective of some culinary secrets.  Neither is the case, at least when I'm cooking for myself.  So this soup is as simple as can be, just make up your own measurements:  rinse some red lentils and jasmine rice, then place in a pot with a chunk of fresh ginger, a little bit of turmeric, and a generous amount of water, bring to boil, cover, and lower the heat to simmer about 15 minutes.  When the lentils and rice are both soft, season with sea salt and fresh squeezed lemon juice.  That's it, really.  Oh, and maybe stir in some fresh cilantro leaves, too.  If you have some.

Then for the topping:  sautee a bunch of cut up green beans in about a tablespoon of coconut oil, pinch of turmeric and sea salt, and dried coconut.  Do this until the stringbeans start to "pop" and the coconut gets brown and toasty.  I also cut up a baby zucchini from my garden and threw that in, too.  This all got poured sizzling on top of the soup.  Simple, and delicious.