I’m all for random holidays. Whether it’s National Peanut Butter Lovers’ Day or Random Act of Kindness Day, I always find a reason to celebrate.
There’s a little more reason to celebrate this holiday coming up however. And that’s because it’s National Hemp Day!
National Hemp Day celebrated its inaugural holiday on February 4, 2019 as an ode to a new era, which began when hemp was finally legalized federally in December 2018 through the Farm Bill.
Hemp has been used by humans for centuries. Its versatility makes it excellent for use in clothes—like the socks I’m rocking now—as paper, textile, building material, and of course, to create CBD. The list of uses for hemp is seemingly endless. However, aside from my hemp-infused salve, my absolute favorite use of hemp is as a food.
National Hemp Day Meets National Homemade Soup Day
I’ve always known recipes to start out with a long-winded tale of how the idea was brought to life in the first place, so I’ll tell you how this came to be.
I was daydreaming about spring and noticed that National Hemp Day and National Homemade Soup Day fall on the same day. What’s a better way to warm ourselves up than with a nice bowl of soup? Therefore, as my own nod to National Hemp Day, I decided to do what I do best and get creative while also getting my grub on and making some absolutely incredible lentil and hemp soup.
Delicious Lentil and Hemp Soup Recipe
I love, love, love this lentil soup recipe by Cookie and Kate but I wanted to add in some flair (and some hemp). Cooking is creating and, in addition to a tasty dish, it offers us an opportunity to understand the nutrients we’re using to nourish our bodies and minds.
I get migraines frequently and I’d always heard magnesium can help with them. Fun fact: among hemp’s many nutritional benefits, one serving of hemp offers 50% of our daily value of magnesium. How neat is that?
I put a lot of thought into how I wanted to add my hemp into the soup. I opted for plain old hemp seeds, but that’s not the only way to do it. Some soups magnify flavors with the addition of hemp seed oil drizzled on after cooking.
Pro-tip: Don’t substitute hemp oil for olive oil. It’s not the same thing and it will burn.
How To Make Hemp And Lentil Soup
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2 tbsp olive oil
Pat of butter
1 chopped yellow onion
1-2 chopped carrots
3 minced garlic cloves
2 chopped serrano peppers
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp curry powder
½ tsp oregano
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Salt & pepper to taste
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste
1 can crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
1 cup lentils, rinsed
½ cup hempseed
4 cups vegetable broth
1 ½ – 2 cups water
½ – 1 cup Kale
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As I mentioned, my recipe is influenced by the best lentil soup, but recipes are meant to be played with! Work in any veggies you think would add flavor and toss in any extras you see fit. In the end, I played up my bowl with some cheddar and cilantro. It was awesome.
Now, let’s check out the Nitty Gritty Instructions:
- Add olive oil & butter to a large soup pot.
- Add in your onion, garlic, carrot(s) until they begin to soften, stir frequently to distribute oil & butter for about 3-5 minutes.
- Add in your cumin, curry powder, oregano, salt, pepper, and crushed tomatoes, stirring as you add for about 5 minutes.
- Then, add in your broth, water, lentils, and hemp seeds.
- Bring soup to a boil.
- Simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- At the very end, add in your kale and stir in.
- Remove from heat and let soup rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving.
- Garnish if desired.
Tuning in with our bodies is vital to our health and hemp really does have some amazing nutritional benefits. You’re more than welcome to celebrate National Hemp Day however you choose. If you’re celebrating National Homemade Soup Day, I invite you to share in the creation of this recipe as well. In any case, educate yourself about the benefits and uses of hemp.
This recipe isn’t the only soup recipe that incorporates hemp. Check out this video below to learn how to make red lentil soup with hemp seeds.
