Vegan Mexican Tortilla Soup

I realize it's been a long time since I last posted, and my friend Stacy inquired about it recently. Given that she's made every recipe I posted (several of them within an hour of posting) I'm concerned she might be going hungry without my blog updates! Or getting really sick of the the previous items. In either case, here is my tribute to Stacy - a delicious, nutritious and inexpensive fall soup option for a law student on the go. It takes a good hour to make, but you'll have plenty of soup for the week and you'll definitely want to make this again!

Ingredients
- vegetable oil
- 1 red pepper
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 1 large yellow onion
- garlic (use as much as you like, but I used 1 very large clove from the Amish stand at the farmer's market, probably equivalent to 4 regular cloves)
- cilantro
- canned tomatos (796ml)
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 4 cups stock (chicken or veggie)
- 1 can lentils (540ml)

Instructions
1. Turn oven to 425 degrees. Brush some oil on the red pepper and jalapeno and roast in the oven until the outside is blackened (at least 30 minutes).
2. Remove from oven and set aside to cool before removing skin.
3. In a large pot, saute the chopped onion, garlic, and about half the bunch of cilantro until brown.
4. Puree the onion mixture in a food processor or a blender. Drain and add the canned tomatoes and the roasted peppers (skin, stem and seeds now removed).
5. Heat another tbsp of oil in the pot over medium-low heat. Return the tomato mixture to the pot and spices. The mixture should thicken after 5-10 minutes on the stove.
6. Add stock and simmer. Add more water if the soup is too thick.
7. Add drained lentils and cook for another 5-10 minutes.

This soup is delicious when garnished with cilantro, limes and avocado, and served with tortilla chips, or my favourite - cheddar jalapeno cornmeal biscuits (see previous blog post). Enjoy!

2008 "La Vendima" Rioja, Spain. Rioja is a regional wine with DOC status, using a blend of grapes from the region. It's characterized by a slightly oaky, dry taste with mellow tannins, and mild stewed fruit taste. I chose it for it's acidity, to balance the spice and acidity of the tomato soup. At $18 a bottle, this wine would be a good alternative to a more robust aged red for serving with red meats and stews. Secret hint: it's also delicious if you add some to the soup...