Arabian Lentil and Rice Soup

Easy to make, fun to eat! Well, maybe not fun, but certainly tasty. I followed the recipe to the letter although I had to cut it in half since I only had a 1/2 cup of red lentils. I did add another cup of water at the end of the first cook time and the rice was cooked though in only another 5 minutes or so. I added another cup of water at the final end since it was pretty thick.

The taste by itself is great, but my fat-loving taste buds were craving more fat. A dollop of margarine (vegan non-hydrogenated of course) was dancing through my head, but instead, I thought about my new-found fat-friend, coconut oil. Oh yeah! I put a teeny tiny bit in my cup, and ohhhh, yeahhhhh! Lovely.

You could add a tablespoon of coconut oil to this recipe, which would add 120 calories to the total recipe. But if you have added 2 more cups of water, you have 8 servings, not 6, so the total calories per serving would go from 172 calories (original recipe, 8 servings) to 187.5 calories which is still lower than 230 calories!
Original recipe, 6 servings: 230 calories per serving
Add 2 cups water, 8 servings: 172 calories per serving
Add 2 cups water, and 1 tbs coconut oil, 8 servings: 187.5 calories per serving.

Please, someone let me know if my math is wrong....oh, wait, I just realized that I made a half recipe and added two whole cups of water, which would equal 4 cups if you made the whole recipe. That really makes this a low-cal soup. I think if you wanted to keep the thickness, but add the water, just blend part of the soup to get a thick base.

Adjusted math..to how I made it:
Original recipe, 3 servings: 230 calories per serving
Add 2 cups water, 5 servings: 138 calories per serving
Add 2 cups water, and 1 tbs coconut oil, 5 servings: 162 calories per serving.

Did the DD eat it? Hasn't tried it yet. But I can guess no.

Would I make this again? Yes, love it.
Rating: 4 out of 5 Forks

 See a little about coconut oil and coconut butter on this separate post.