📖 Instructions

1. First things first: Get yourself a big pot or Dutch oven – the kind that makes you feel all cozy and warm inside. Wash and chop all your veggies. Seriously, if you don’t chop your veggies before starting, you’ll end up procrastinating like crazy…been there, done that! Also, do you know what's really annoying? When your recipe has missing ingredients. Always check if you have everything before you start!
2. Next, sauté your carrots, celery, and onion. Medium heat is your friend here. Don’t rush it; you want them nice and soft. Also, remember that you need to actually cut the vegetables before cooking, you don’t want to throw whole veggies in your pot, that’s not how it’s done! If you burn the vegetables, you can just start again. It's just not worth the stress to deal with burnt veggies and a ruined soup.
3. Add your garlic, ginger, and spices. Cook for another minute or two, just until fragrant. Think of this as the aromatic perfume of your soup—it's what will wake up those taste buds! Then, stir in your lentils, apple cider, and vegetable broth. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and let it simmer for at least 20 minutes, or until your lentils are tender. You don’t want to overcook them. If you’re feeling lazy and don’t want to wait for all those lentils to be cooked, you can always use pre-cooked lentils.
4. Now for the star of the show—the apples! Once your lentils are tender, add the chopped apples and cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until they’re soft but still hold their shape. Don’t overcook them; they should still have a little bit of bite. At this point, if you are using an immersion blender—what a great thing to have in your kitchen—then use it! Blend the soup until smooth. Not fully pureed, of course – we want to still see little bits of apple and lentil. If you don’t have a blender you can still leave it as is, just less smooth, but good! Finally, stir in your fresh spinach, letting it wilt slightly in the hot soup.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper. And maybe a little extra cider vinegar if you feel like it—it adds a lovely zing. Then, dish it up, garnish with a dollop of plain yogurt or a sprinkle of fresh herbs (parsley or thyme is nice) and enjoy your warm, comforting, flavorful soup! I think it’s so tasty and healthy, and I wish I could eat it every day, but I need to keep it balanced. Let me know if you add any other ingredients!