Lentil Soup Un-Recipe

Did you know the humble, frugal lentil has 26% protein? It's true!

I made a "really ripping lentil soup" yesterday. (If you got the Simpson's reference, no I didn't follow Mr. McCartney's recipe; I just love the line!) There was some celery that was beginning to wilt in the fridge, and a couple of onions that had seen better days sitting in the pantry, and lentil soup seemed just the thing to get them used up before they bit the big one. I hate recipes, for some reason - perhaps I just don't like measuring things out? In any case, I usually throw a bunch of stuff in the crockpot and hope for the best. And, this one worked out wonderfully. So, if you're anything like I am, and you just don't enjoy working from strict recipes, here's my crockpot lentil soup un-recipe:

A bunch of lentils (or a mix of split peas and lentils)
2.5 times as much water as lentils (or split peas and lentils)
Chopped up potatoes, carrots, celery, onion - as much as you want of each (or whatever veggies you prefer - fresh spinach would be good, I think)
One or two cans of diced tomatoes (I didn't drain mine)
Several cloves of garlic to taste
One or two vegetable bullion cubes
A couple of tablespoons of red wine vinegar to taste
Oregano, thyme and rosemary to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
A couple of bay leaves, if you like

Put the lentils/split peas in with the water for about 45 minutes or so, and cook on high. Then, add the rest of the ingredients. Cook on whatever setting you like until the lentils and veggies are tender - high took about 4 hours for me, and then I turned it to low for another hour, or so.

Pretty much everything but the lentils and water is optional. Just use whatever sounds good (and whatever your family will eat!).

Yum!