Books & Spoons Recipe for CHORIZO SOUP WITH LENTILS

Nothing better in the heart of the winter than a big bowl of soup, that will smooth you all the way to your soul! Soups are a fast and easy way to fill you up, they can be reasonably priced, depending on the ingredients you use, and it is a great way to ease your weekly stress, to make a big pot ahead of time to use for a couple of days after hectic days of life. 
If you have a small household - or for any other number of reasons - those pre-washed and cut vegetable bags many grocery stores sell can actually reduce the prize of the meal, cut the time you prepare the meal considerably, and cut the food waste you produce. Sometimes buying every item of the vegetables and then using just quarter of it, and having the rest in your fridge for a week until you get rid of it, can get costly, and definitely wasteful. Also, these pre-cut bags are a great for the disabled, who can not stand long enough to wash and cut veggies, who have problems holding a knife, or any other obstacles with the food preparation. This is not an ad for anything, I just recently had a conversation with someone who questioned the pre-cut fruits and vegetables being sold, and I just wanted to point out that there actually is a number of reason for people to use them, and they definitely have a great purpose for many. 
So if you need to, or want to, buy pre-cut veggies for this or any other recipe, just so you can cook home, you have my blessing, go forth and cook for your heart content! 
'TIll next time
~ Cheers!

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CHORIZO SOUP WITH LENTILS 

• 2 cup of Cabbage, chopped
• 4 Carrots, washed, peeled, shredded 
• 1 cup Sugar Peas, washed
• 1 cup of Red Cabbage, chopped
• 1 Bell Pepper, seeded and cut into small pieces
• 1/4 Leek, washed and chopped
• 2 stem Celery, washed and chopped small
• 12 ea  Cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 Chili pepper seeded and cut small
• 1 tetra/cup Red lentils, rinsed
• 2 ea Bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp Black pepper, whole
• 0,5 L/1 Quart Vegetable Broth/stock, warm
• 4 ea Chorizo sausage, cut into pieces and sauteed  

1. Prepare all the vegetables as directed
2. In a large pot, saute the vegetables for five minutes
3. Add the lentils
4. Add the warm broth until the vegetables are just covered 
5. Add bay leaves and black peppers
6. Cut the sausage 
7. Saute the Chorizo in a separate pan
8. Add to the soup when the vegetables are nearly cooked
9. Check the taste of the soup, add salt and other spices if desired
10. Cook until desired consistency 

Serve with fresh parsley on the top, if desired
You can add noodles to the soup at the end if you want more stew-like consistency