3 carrots 2 stalks of celery 1 medium onion 3 cloves chopped garlic 4 plum tomatoes (or 1 can of diced tomatoes) 1 cup of brown rice 1 cup of lentils 10 cups of water 2 tablespoons of chicken base (i.e. Better Than Bouillon) salt and pepper 2 bay leaves olive oil

Chop up all of your veggies (I throw everything in the food processor and pulse until I get the desired size) Put your pot on the stove, turn on the stove to medium-high, drizzle olive oil in the pot Put all the veggies in the pot and sweat them for about 5-6 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss your bay leaves and lentils in, stir for about a minute. Pour in your water and tablespoons of chicken base. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover for about 45-50 minutes. While the soup is cooking, I cook the rice separately according to the package. (This way it wont absorb all my liquid) You don’t have to do it this way, it’s just how I prefer to do it. When both the soup and rice are ready I add the rice to the soup and serve.