This soup is soup-er good

Heh, heh. Ha, ha. Ho. Ha, ha. Clever, I know. This delectable "Lentil and Bulgur Soup" is featured in this month's Martha Stewart Living. I've already mentioned this issue in a previous post: trust me, it's that good. Anyway, this soup is easy, cheap, nutritious, and tasty. You can't beat that. If you've never tried lentils or bulgur wheat, I'm telling you--you can't mess it up. It's yummy. Sorry the photograph is terrible. I had no natural light, throw me a bone.

Here's the recipe:

2 tablespoons-ish olive oil

1 or 2 medium carrots, finely chopped

1 or 2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1 shallot, thinly sliced

6 cups high quality H-2-O

1 cup green or brown lentils, "rinsed and picked over" (whatever that means...I just tossed 'em in the pan. Na-na-na-boo-boo.)

1/2 cup bulgur wheat (don't be afraid!)

Optional: 2 to 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar for drizzling (meh, kind of a money waster)

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Saute carrot, celery, and shallot until tender--approximately six minutes. Add water and lentils, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for about 20 minutes or until lentils are tender.

2. Stir in bulgur. Cook, partially covered, until bulgur is tender but still a bit chewy--approximately five minutes.

3. Season with salt and pepper. Optional: drizzle with vinegar and/or more olive oil to taste.

That's it and that's all! Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Bon appetit!