Turkish Red Lentil Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 quart vegetable broth
1 teaspoon olive oil (can be left out I like it for the creaminess)
1 cup red lentil
1 carrot, finely diced
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste (for a richer soup just use a whole 6-oz can)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika (smoked for extra zing!)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 dash garlic powder (just one shake)
1 dash cayenne pepper (a few shakes)
2 bay leaves

Preparation

Combine everything into a pot, and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat, loosely cover the pot, and let simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils have completely softened.
Let the soup cool for about 5-10 minutes (you can also cheat and just pop the pot in the fridge or freezer for a couple minutes while catching up on work and texting, like I did!).
Pour the soup in a blender to puree it nicely.
After pureeing, I sometimes like to pop in a can of big white beans like great northern beans, navy beans, cannellini, or butterbeans with a little fresh cilantro if I happen to have any on hand. These are found in piyaz, another delicious meze.
Garnish with lemon and/or fresh mint, and serve with some delicious pitas, toasty Turkish bread, or sigara bourek!