French Lentil and Salmon Soup

35g CARB

Serves 6

Hands On 20 min.

Total 50 min.

• 12 oz. fresh or frozen skinless salmon
• 1 medium fennel bulb
• 6 cups unsalted vegetable broth or stock
• 4 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup dried French green lentils, rinsed and drained
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. snipped fresh dill or 1½ tsp. dried dill
• 3 cups spinach
• 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
• ¼ cup light sour cream (optional)

1. Thaw fish, if frozen. Coarsely snip 2 Tbsp. of the fennel fronds. Set aside for garnish. Cut off and discard upper stalks of fennel bulb. Remove any wilted outer layers; cut off and discard a thin slice from base of fennel. Halve, core, and chop remaining fennel.

2. In a large saucepan combine chopped fennel and the next seven ingredients (through pepper). Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 25 minutes or until lentils are just tender, stirring occasionally.

3. Meanwhile, rinse salmon with cold water; pat dry with paper towels. Cut salmon into 1-inch pieces. Add salmon and dried dill weed (if using) to soup when lentils are tender. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 4 to 5 minutes or just until fish flakes easily. Remove from heat. Remove and discard bay leaf.

4. Add fresh dill (if using), spinach, and lemon juice to soup. If desired, top each serving with sour cream. Top with reserved fennel fronds and additional pepper.

Tip French lentils are small, round, and dark. They cook faster and hold their shape better than their brown or yellow cousins, which shouldn’t be used as substitutes. Look for them in the health food and bulk food sections of your supermarket.

PER SERVING (1⅔ cups each) cal 254, fat 4 g (1 g sat. fat), chol 31 mg, sodium 387 mg, carb 35 g (6 g fiber, 8 g sugars), pro 20 g

DID YOU KNOW?

You can also use 2 cups purchased or leftover cooked brown rice. Reheat before using.