Magic Red Lentil Soup (vegan, gluten-free)     Ingredients: 1 cup red (orange) lentils 5 cups water 1 medium carrot, grated 1/2 small sweet potato, peeled, grated (or one small new potato, peeled, grated) 1 tomato, blanched, sliced 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 whole bay leaves 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped finely 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 lemons, sliced Optional Ingredients (to make this a "harvest soup"): 1/2 yellow squash, sliced 1/2 cup corn kernels cut from fresh cob Instructions: Soak lentils in half or more of the water for at least 4 hours. Coat the bottom of a 4-quart soup pot with olive oil Turn heat on under pot. Add garlic, carrot gratings, potato gratings to pot and stir in oil for 3 minutes Add remainder of water (whatever isn't mixed with lentils) to pot. Add bay leaves to pot and medium boil for 15 minutes. Add lentil-water mixture and salt and cook for 10 minutes Add blanched tomato (and optional ingredients). Continue to cook until lentils dissolve (another 20 minutes). Remove bay leaves. Serve with a slice or two of lemon. Notes NOTE 1:  Makes 6 cups, serves 8.     To email please see:  contact.cgi if you have any comments or questions about this page. Authored & created by Meryll Larkin:  12/22/04 Updated:  08/30/08