Spicy Red Lentil, Capsicum & Tomato Soup

I used to make this soup in winter very often. But since swapping over to a seasonal diet this soup has been restricted to a few months of the year when it's summer / early autumn. I know it's not exactly conventional but we still eat a lot of soup in summer, one there is so much great produce to make soup from in summer, two it's a light meal and three it takes roughly 25 minutes to cook and you can make up a big batch that will last for a few days which means very little cooking on a hot day.
I've recently become obsessed with this cold smoked garlic that I've been buying of this lovely couple at the slow food farmers market at the Abbotsford Convent in Melbourne. They're called Bellellen Grampians Organics. If your in Melbourne it's well worth the trip to the market just for this garlic. If you do happen to get some of this garlic or you find any smoked garlic I highly recommend using it in this dish, it adds another layer. If not regular garlic will do just fine.

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp of expeller pressed coconut butter/oil or ghee

2 Onions cut into thin rings

2 Red capsicums cut into thin strips

4 Cloves of garlic thinly sliced

1/2 Jar of pasata
500g of red split lentils

2 Ripe tomatoes peeled and diced

1/2 Tsp of cayenne pepper

1 Tsp of smoked paprika

1 Tsp of ground coriander

3 Tsp of good quality sea salt
1900ml of water

DIRECTIONS

Saute the onions in the coconut oil on medium to high heat until translucent. Add the capsicum and garlic and saute for another few minutes. Add the tomatoes and spices cook for a further few minutes then add the water, the lentils and the tomato pasata and salt. Bring to the boil then simmer with the lid on for around 15 minutes until the lentils are cooked and you have a good consistency. Have a quick taste to see if needs any more seasoning.

Enjoy!