This recipe is a Lebanese inspired dish that I tried last week and loved it! It has a beautiful blend of spices that may be totally new to your palette. It was new to mine and I really enjoyed it…the leftovers were great too.

It was originally a vegetarian dish, but I added some ground turkey for extra protein as my hubby and I both like to eat protein rich diets. It is a great use of collard greens. So here is a great way to add these greens into your diet.

Ingredients:
*1/2 pound ground turkey (optional), sauteed (cooked through)
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup dried red lentils (I couldn’t find red ones, so used the ones I could find in the store), rinsed and drained
6 cups water
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch collard greens, rinsed and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/3 cup lemon juice

Directions:
1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium in large sauce pan; stir in onion and salt, cook until soft and translucent (about 4 minutes). Stir in lentils and cook for 1 minute. Pour in water and bring to boil over high heat, then turn heat to medium low, cover and simmer until lentils are tender (about 15 minutes). If using cooked ground turkey, add now.
2. Meanwhile heat remaining olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add collard greens and heat until wilted, about 10 minutes (stirring occasionally).

3. When lentils are tender, stir in collard greens and add cumin, cinnamon, and garlic; allow to simmer 10 more minutes. Add lemon juice before serving and enjoy!

*Serves 4
* Recipe Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Lentil-and-Green-Collard-Soup/Detail.aspx