Indian Lentil Soup

From The 30-Day Diabetes Miracle by Franklin House, M.D., Stuart A. Seale, M.D., and Ian Blake Newman. Modified only slightly–original recipe calls for parsley as garnish but I left that out.

• 1 c dry red lentils
• 5 c water
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 c onion, chopped
• 1/2 c celery, thinly sliced
• 1 c carrots, finely diced
• 1 1/2 c canned chunky tomatoes
• 1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/8 tsp chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

Combine the lentils, water, garlic, oil, onion, celery and carrots in a soup pot and bring to a boil; reduce the heat, cover, and let simmer for about 2 hours. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, chili powder, and salt and let it simmer a few more minutes. Just before serving, remove the bay leaf.