Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Grape Seed Oil
1 pound extra lean ground turkey
1/2 medium onion, minced
2 cloves fresh garlic, grated
2 carrots, peeled and diced small
2 stalks celery, sliced thin
2 large potatoes,peeled, diced small
16 ounce can crushed tomoatoes
3 cups water
4 cups chicken stock or broth
1 1/2 cups dried lentils: orange, green, brown, or mixed, and rinsed
1 teaspoon fresh cracked sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons smokey or sweet red paprika
1 large bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped fine
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:

1) Heat soup/stock pot over medium heat for one full minute. Add Ground Chicken and cook until done and no longer pink. Remove ground chicken from stockpot and set aside. Rinse stock pot under cool water and wipe clean. Place pot back onto stove over medium heat for 1 minute.

2) Add two tablespoons Grape Seed oil to the warm pot. Heat oil for one minute. Add onion, and saute for 3 minutes. Add garlic, saute for 1 minute. Add celery and carrot, saute for 3 minutes. Add rinsed lentils to pot. They will be wet, but water should not be running off of them. Saute lentils with vegetables for 3 minutes, stiring constantly.

3) Add potatoes to the lentil mix. Cook, stiring frequently, for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Add ground chicken back to pot. At this point, add the water, chicken stock, bay leaf, sea salt, pepper, paprika,& thyme. Bring to a boil.

4) As soon as lentil mix is boiling, add crushed tomatoes and parsley. Lower heat to simmer, and cover lid, stiring once before covering. Simmer for 30 minutes, stiring every 10 minutes or so. Turn off heat, and allow to rest for 30 minutes before serving.

5) This soup continues to develop flavor, so I recommend preparing this the day before you'd like to serve it. Let is sit in the refrigerator overnight. Heat before serving.

*Alternate Ingredient Options:

*Meat: Any lean cut of meat or poultry. Any lean ground meat or poultry.

*Fillers: Cooked black beans, white beans, navy beans, split peas.

*Vegetables: Corn, green beans, mushrooms, okra, peas.

*Stock: Use organic beef stock if using ground beef or any cut of beef. May also use vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock.