Red Lentil and Bulgur Soup

I gained less than a pound after a week eating out almost every meal, which tells you how much running around we were doing.  I knew I hadn't been eating enough veggies on my trip.  I decided to go mostly vegan for a few days to reset my system and work out the extra salt.

This is kind of the Turkish lentil meatballs in soup form.  The spices aren't as concentrated, and the lentils dominate instead of the bulgur.  Still the same general idea and much more filling than it looks.

1 qt vegetable stock
1/2 C diced onion
1/2 C red lentils
*1/3 C fine or medium bulgur
1 C chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
1 Roma tomato, diced
1 Tb olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp chili powder
kosher salt and pepper to taste

1.  Bring stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan and add lentils and diced tomato.  Simmer for about 10 minutes while you make the onion.

2.  In a small skillet, heat oil over medium.  Add onion and spices, going easy on the salt and pepper for now.  Sauté until the onions are soft and spices are fragrant.  Add to the soup pot with the bulgur and chopped parsley.

3.  Simmer until lentils and bulgur are done, about another 10 minutes.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.  Serve hot, garnished with fresh parsley

Difficulty rating  π