Red Lentil and Carrot Soup- Lets have Onion Bread and Carrot Cake

Lunch day at Juice TV
I have posted this soup before, but it's winter and we all need more tasty soups people. to keep us warm. This is great, cheap and makes heaps. Just lightly spiced I thought it was great.
To accompany it, I made my Basic white bread and added some spicy caramelised onions.
AND a delicious  Carrot Cake. The cake I got from the Everyday Baking Programme on Food TV.
It was easy and quick.

Spiced Carrot Cake ( In My Net Diary Everyday Baking Carrot Cake)

1/4 cup vegetable oil,  plus more for pan
1 cup (spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour,
plus more for pan
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/3 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 cup finely shredded packed (about 2 medium) carrots

Quick Glaze
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 170C
Brush an 8-inch round cake pan with oil.
Place a round of waxed or parchment paper in the bottom;
brush with oil, and dust with flour, tapping out excess. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, cardamom, and salt; 
set aside. 
In a small bowl, whisk eggs, sugars, yogurt, and oil until smooth.
Gently mix egg mixture into dry ingredients until moistened; mix in carrots. 
Transfer batter to prepared pan.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes
(if browning too quickly, tent cake with aluminum foil).
Cool in pan, 15 minutes.
Turn out of pan, remove paper, and cool completely on a rack, right side up.
Apply glaze, or dust with confectioners' sugar.

Quick Glaze
In a small bowl, mix confectioners' sugar and 1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice
until a smooth but thick glaze forms (too thin a glaze will be absorbed by the cake).
Place a piece of waxed paper under cooling rack for easy cleanup.
Spoon glaze back and forth over cake, forming a pattern.
Keep cake on cooling rack until glaze is set, 15 to 20 minutes.

Onion Bread
2 cups white flour  
1 tsp salt                
1 tsp sugar              
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 packet yeast (8gms)  
230 mls hand hot water

Put yeast and sugar in 200 mls of hand hot water
Stir
Leave about 5 minutes to activate the yeast
put the other ingredients into the food processor
Let it whiz not too fast
If it is not forming into a ball slowly add more water until it does

Turn out onto bench and start kneading by pulling edges into the middle
like a little parcel
Place in a greased bowl for about 1 hour to rise

Meanwhile
Finely slice a peeled red onion
Saute in 1 tablespoon olive oil
Add 1 tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground coriander

Sea salt
Freshly brown black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon finely cut fresh coriander roots and stalks
Cook till soft and turning brown
Set aside and Cool
Take out the bread lay on the lightly floured bench and cover with the onion mixture

Push all the edges in and knead with till it forms a smooth ball
Back into greased bowl and cover for another 30 minutes

 When it has doubled

Take this lovely doungh and press down to a rectangle on a greased and floured tray

Bake at 205C about 20 minutes
Remove. it should sound hollow when you tap it
If not back in the oven about 5 more minutes

Looking good.
Now onto the main event
Red Lentil and Carrot Soup  (In My Net Diary look under Gillis Carrot and Lentil Soup)

I used the food processor to chop the vegetables and it was brilliant
You may notice Vegeta. WE discovered this in Croatia they put it in everything. You can buy it here. It is a Vegetable Stock powder. Gluten free Great flavour. A must for the pantry


55 gm unsalted butter      
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger 
1/2 tsp ground allspice     
1/2 tsp ground cumin     
1/2 tsp ground ginger     
and 1/2 tsp ground chili powder  
1tsp curry powder 
1 tsp ground coriander 
300 gms onions finely chopped   
143 gm parsnip      
100 gms chopped celery
1 k g sliced carrots    
200 gms swede peeled and chopped  

85 gms split red lentils     
25 gms long rain rice     
1 . 75 litres water
Vegeta 3 tablespoon    
400 ml can lite coconut cream  
2  tablespoons fresh lime juice 

MethodMelt the butter in a heavy based pan and
Add ginger, allspice, cumin, chilli powder
and Curry powder and coriander

Cook over a low heat for about 3 minutes stirring constantly
Add the vegetables and Vegeta
Stir to combine and cook about 8 minutes
Stir in lentils and rice
Then the water

 Bring to boil and simmer around 30 minutes till the vege are tender and the lentils break up

Into the blender
Bring back to boil
Add coconut milk and lime juice
Taste and adjust if necessary

Dont boil again just reheat
Just add Fresh coriander and serve