While in many places it’s snowing and freezing, late winter brings bright sunny weather in Northern California. I had to remind myself that it is winter as I drove around in 65 degree weather today. The excitement of winter is only when we drive up for a few hours to see the snow. After a few rash rains, the doldrums of January bring foggy mornings and warm yet cozy afternoons. The sun stays awake for as long as it can, as the fog gives us the perfect picturesque view on early morning walks. Living in the Bay Area sure has its beautiful moments.
I started writing this post last weekend after a 2 hour hike. The place we hiked is so very beautiful. It shows us a new facet of itself every time we visit. It’s the same hike, but hiking it 3 times in a row looked and felt very different. The first time we went, there was a clear morning orange-blueish sky so clear that you could see far into the horizon. The dogs came with their masters, sniffed us, and gave us a wag. The pictures we took were as clear as a bright morning sky.
The second time we went, the sun decided to play hide and seek. The dizzying heights didn’t bother us a bit. We did not see the sunrise. In fact, we did not even see the clouds. We did not see anything 10 feet away from us. Walking the right path was a question we kept asking each other. The tail end of the hike was when we felt “we walked in the clouds.” We had a white cast on our hair. Some places where we could see clearly were like scenes straight out of a movie.
The third time, we had tiny little droplets touching our eyelashes very subtly. Lightly foggy, not cold, no horses or cows to greet us. It was calm and very serene.
Isn’t it amazing that going to the same place at the exact same time feels so different, yet so familiar? This soup, to me, feels that way. Every time I make it, it’s a bit different. I top it differently, add a number of different vegetables, and it works all the time.
- 2 cups mixed beans(I used sprouted lentils, adzuki and mung beans)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tomatoes
- 4-5 green chillies
- 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 5 cloves garlic grated
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 large bunch of spinach chopped
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp salt or accordingly
- ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
- Boil the lentils/beans in 6 cups of water till it's cooked well, not too soft and too mushy.
- Grind 1 cup of lentils to a coarse paste.
- Grind the tomatoes and green chillies, keep aside.
- In a large deep dish, add olive oil. Add the cumin seeds and bay leaves. Fry for a minute.
- Add the grated ginger, garlic and fry for a minute on low heat.
- Saute the carrots. Add the ground turmeric and add the tomato-green chilly paste. Cook the carrots for 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
- Add the lentils and mix. Add the lentils paste. Mix everything well, add salt and check for spices, if you need more spice, add some pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes to get all the flavors mixed in well.
You could top it with some Harissa, corn tortilla, sriracha.
You could add some grains in it or serve with some rice.
Love this robust heart soup. Winter or no winter, I can have bean and lentil soups anytime.
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Thanks my dear. I agree, winter or no winter it’s good. <3
Wow Asha – I saw that photo of y’alls foggy hike on IG – Your description of it is so poetic and beautiful!
I am so using your technique of grating ginger and garlic into a recipe – this soup sounds perfect for a cold foggy evening! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Thanks Sashi. Hope you enjoyed your weekend.
We’ve started hiking a lot. Planning on big hikes this summer and feels so good to get out and do something you love.
Well, I am always motivated by your running and healthy habits. Keep it up chica. xo
Your food is always so vibrant and beautiful! What a great pot of soup to warm yourself up with after a hike or a day out (even if it’s not freezing). It’s cold here on the East Coast so I especially can’t get enough soup. This looks really marvelous; soups with lots of beans are among my faves.
Thanks Monica. I hope you are staying warm my friend. xoxo
A full of flavor, vegetarian stew… One of the most comforting dishes at these low temps!
Yes, made it again yesterday. Very comforting.
This looks SO good! It has all of my favorite soup ingredients in it and the spices sound amazing!
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Thanks Kelly.xo
This looks so comforting, warming and beautiful! I love it!
Thanks dear Angie.
Such a vibrant bowl of soup! Love all the coloured beans, makes for a hearty winter soup.
This is what’s beautiful about nature and living in beautifully, scenic areas, it’s never the same twice. We often go to Rocky Mountain National Park which is very close to us, and weekly it changes. Sometimes, all it takes is the weather to be different and it casts a different glow on the area. I love it all!
Absolutely, the weather and the places here are just so wonderful. Have a great weekend my dear.
Beautiful soup and so healthy, Ash! Love your styling and photography here. Yes, the sun definitely plays hide and seek this time of year. I relish each and every sunny day we have in the winter. Thanks for sharing, my friend. Have a wonderful week! xo
Thanks my dear.
I’m kind of jealous of your non-winter winter…it is gross here in NYC!! I could definitely use a big bowl of this soup. Sounds like it’s filled with all sorts of deliciousness.
Aaa, you know Joanne in fact, I was looking forward to more rain and some snow, which we didn’t get:(.
What a wonderfully warming soup. It’s so funny how we have such different weather-we’re mid summer and the news is full of snow in the US and Northern Hemisphere!
Haha true, the weather here is so different from coast to coast. Have a great weekend my dear.
I love going for hikes in almost any kind of weather, but we’re sure lucky we have some pretty tolerable weather here! 🙂 This soup looks hearty, comforting, and delicious. I love these ingredients, and would love to have a bowl! Pinned.
Oh yes, absolutely, the weather here has been particularly good this year. Thanks for the pin my dear.
A beautiful and hearty soup, just perfect for this time of year.
Thanks so much for stopping by, I’m humbled.
Soups are the best way to beat the cold and we need lots of them here :(… This sounds like one of the comfy food you can rely on during winter.
Stay warm my friend.
This is just gorgeous! Such vibrant greens and oranges in this soup. Look great, and I’ll bet it tastes even better. Really good stuff — thanks.
Thank you so much.
So colorful and comforting! I love a good hearty soups, with a touch of spice. Especially after a great hike 🙂
Hikes sure make us super hungry. Thank you.
This look like such a hearty winter soup – heading to Trader Joes with the ingredients list today! I’ve never tried the idea of making a paste with the means. I love think soups so can’t wait to try it!
I hope you get to try it and please buzz me if you do. So simple too. Thank You.
Such a hearty and healthy soup. Love such one pot hot wonders during winters. Love your clicks and your amazing recipes. Glad to have found your blog.
Shweta, thanks doll.
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This article is worth to keep. I love soups.
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Recently caught a cold during my visit in Boston, I really need this stew today. I love the Indian flavors you incorporate. Wishing I could be there with you in the Bay Area and have a bowl of this beautiful stew!