Chunky Lentil and Vegetable Soup

So I am currently sidelined with an unhappy IT band. While I'm waiting for it to heal, I've been biking to keep up my cardio. Last night a cold front came in and also brought strong wind gusts, up to 25 miles an hour. I decided to set out on a long-ish bike ride on the White Rock Creek Trail this morning. Heading south on the trail was cold and windy, I realized that my gloves weren't keeping my fingers very warm. After 30 minutes heading south, I turned around to head back north and realized I'd had a tailwind the entire way! I tried for a few minutes to struggle against the wind, but my hands were painfully cold and I realized it would take me about twice the amount of time to get back to my starting point. After less than 10 minutes, I took shelter in the nearby tennis center and called Michael to pick me up. The cold and wind was just too much for me!

After I took a hot shower to thaw out, I made myself some hearty soup. This soup was really easy, delicious and inexpensive!

I didn't have any paprika, so I subbed some chili powder which I knew had smoked paprika in it. This definitely cranked up the heat, so I ended up adding a little sugar to cut the spiciness. It was still delicious, but I think the smoked paprika would definitely add some depth so I will use that next time.

Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
½ lb. (3-4) carrots
3 ribs celery (I left this out)
1 (15 oz.) can black beans
1 cup brown lentils
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Freshly ground black pepper
1 (15 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes
4 cups vegetable broth
½ tsp salt
Instructions
Mince the garlic and dice the onion. Cook both in a large pot with olive oil over medium heat until tender. Meanwhile, slice the celery and peel and slice the carrots. Add the celery and carrots to the pot and continue to sauté for about 5 more minutes.
Drain the can of black beans and add it to the pot along with the dry lentils, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and some freshly cracked pepper (10-15 cranks of a pepper mill). Finally, add the diced tomatoes (with juices) and vegetable broth, and stir to combine.
Increase the heat to medium high and allow the pot to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low, place a lid on top, and let it simmer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, test the lentils to make sure they are tender. If not, continue to simmer until they are tender.**
Taste the soup and add salt as needed (I added ½ tsp). Serve hot.