Fantasy Healthball Recipes – Red Victory Soup

Best for:  Fans of teams with red in team colors.  Calling all Texans, Patriots, Bills, Chiefs, Bucs, ‘Skins, Cardinals, and 49ers!  This magic Fantasy Healthball brew is for you!
Where to Eat it:  Watching the game at home with friends (cold weather games best) or in a thermos at the stadium parking lot.
Servings: 3 (double the below to make 6)
What is in it: 
4 tomatoes, medium
1 carrot
half red bell pepper
1/2 onion
1 clove of garlic
4 tbsp (tablespoon) small red lentil
1 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp curry
2 tbsp vegetable broth
1 tbsp olive oil (optional)
½ cup milk (optional)
A dash of kosher salt and pepper to taste

How to do it:
Okay, first, grow all the vegetables in your garden in the backyard.  Okay, forget that, that would take too long.  Go get them at your local Farmers’ Market.  Don’t have one?  Okay, fine, just go to your local grocery store.  If they give you an organic choice, go with those.  Your body will thank you.  Okay, got all the stuff together?  Let’s move on:
1. Chop roughly all vegetables and put them together with the lentils in a deep pan with 3 cups water; cover and bring to a boil
2. Cook at medium heat until all vegetables are soft (about 15-20 minutes).
3. Mix with an immersion blender (a.k.a hand blender) – if you don’t have one of those, you can use the puree setting on your blender (careful pouring in the hot liquid)
4. if you prefer more liquidy soup, add some water
5. Add the spices, broth, salt, and pepper to taste and simmer for few minutes.  If you prefer a creamier soup, add the milk.  If you are olive oil hounds, add that.  As it is simmering, stir it slowly repeating your team’s fight song.  Don’t know the fight song?  Shame on you, maybe you want Martha Stewart’s recipe website?  Go immediately to You Tube and search for your favorite teams fight song, memorize it, and return.

Serve hot in deep bowl (or go the thermos route if in the cold outdoors).  You can sprinkle a little extra virgin olive oil or spices on top to make it look like you cook for the Food Network.  Dip some toasted whole wheat pita (for the white in your team colors) into it, or some whole wheat bread. 

Health Thoughts:  This recipe is loaded with healthy veggies providing large doses of vitamins E, A, C, B6, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, folate, calcium, and fiber.  Most canned soups are LOADED with sodium but in this recipe, you control the sodium as 90% of it is just in how much salt you add.  We added ½ tsp of kosher salt which is 560mg.  It was plenty salty with that, so you could try less.  Overdoing salt is linked to high blood pressure.  This recipe is full of happy goodness and low in fat, calories, and cholesterol.  Thanks to Fantasy Healthball Fan Cinzia for sending it in to us! 

Enjoy, and on to victory.  – Jim Ballard