Soup for a tight budget

One of my favourite recipes when there's not a lot in the cupboard or in my wallet is Lentil Soup with Couscous and Kale. I invented it one cold night when we had some left-over couscous and not much else in the house. I always love to make soups and this is one of my best. It's satisfying, healthy, colourful, easy and above all dirt cheap. Lentils are the perfect budget food since they very inexpensive when you buy them dry, which is actually the best way to buy them anyway. Canned lentils aren't very good. Plus unlike dried beans, they don't have to be soaked overnight and cook up quickly so you don't even have to be good at planning dinners ahead. This recipe has come in handy numerous times when we've been tight for cash, which sadly happens more often than not as a couple of artists. But you never feel poor when you've got this in your belly.

I made this last week because we have a lot of kale on our hands from the garden and we're saving up for a trip to Berlin, so I'm trying to be ever so frugal.

Lentil Soup with Couscous and Kale

the soup:
- one onion
- several garlic cloves depending on how much you love garlic and how fresh it is
- a red or green pepper (optional, raises the price)
- a carrot or two
- a medium fresh tomato or about 1/3 cup of canned or strained tomatoes
-1/2 tsp coriander seeds
-1/2 tsp onion seeds or mustard seeds (optional, not everyone likes these)
-1/4 tsp cumin seeds
-1 tsp curry powder
-1/4 tsp garam masala
-small hot pepper
-1 tbsp cooking oil
-1 cup orange lentils (the really little ones)
- 2-3 cups of water or stock
-Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:
-steamed kale
-cooked couscous

Instructions:
Toast the seeds in hot oil, add onion and simmer until the onion softens. Add chopped peppers and carrots. Add the chopped tomato and the curry powder and garam masala, finely diced hot pepper and garlic to make a rue of spices. This should not be an overpoweringly hot soup, just a little piquant, so be cautious with quantities of spices. Wash lentils then add to pot, stir for a minute then add the water or stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 15-20minutes.

Meanwhile, if you don't have already cooked kale and couscous, you can now prepare these.
Serve in a large bowl, pouring soup in first, then spoonfuls of the couscous on top like a crouton in french onion soup and the bright green kale over-top of that.