Bree'S Lentil-Tomato Soup From Cooking Light - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 1/3 cups water
2 1/3 cups dried lentils
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 (14 1/2 ounce) cans reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
chopped fresh tomato (optional)
cilantro, sprig (optional)

Preparation

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; saute' 3 minutes or until tender. Add turmeric and next 6 ingredients; saute' 1 minute. Add water and next 4 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 1 hour.
Reserve 2 cups lentil mixture. Place half of remaining mixture in a blender; process until smooth. Pour pureed soup into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with other half of remaining mixture. Stir in reserved 2 cups lentil mixture. Garnish with chopped tomato and a cilantro sprig, if desired.