Something different, not beauty related...unless you count beauty on the inside!

I took a sick day today because I only had about an hour or two of sleep last night. I always have trouble sleeping on Sunday nights but last night was even worse than usual. I didn't nod off until well after 2am, and then I woke up just after 3 and stayed awake for AGES, going back to sleep less than an hour before my alarm went off. I was very groggy and headachy and dizzy when I awoke, and consequently rang in sick and went back to bed for a few hours after seeing Noodle Arms off to school. I still feel a bit yuk, like I'm hungover (though I have not had a drop since Friday night champaggen).

All that is just to explain why I am writing a blog post at one o'clock in the afternoon on a Monday. My real reason for being here is to share a recipe with you. I am currently making this soup to take for morning tea for the next few days, since I'm trying to be healthy and avoid my usual morning tea of cheese and biscuits. I love this soup, even though I'm not a fan of carrots in general (as a kid I would gag on cooked carrot and sneak the pieces to my dog - my mother told me a few years ago that she hated cooked carrot also, and it really annoyed me that she forced me to eat them for all those years, despite my constant complaining). It's super easy, tastes delicious, fills you up, and is healthy. I found it in a British food magazine a few years ago, and I've made it about eleventy billion times since.

SPICY CARROT AND LENTIL SOUP
Serves 4

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
pinch dried chilli flakes
1 tablespoon olive oil
600g carrots, washed, peeled and coarsely grated (I just chop them fairly small, I'm too lazy to grate all those carrots)
140g split red lentils
1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
125ml milk

Heat a large saucepan and dry-fry the cumin seeds and chilli flakes for about 30 seconds or until they start to jump around the pan and release their aromas (they kind of smell burnt, so don't panic).
Add the oil, carrot, lentils, stock and milk to the pan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until the lentils have swollen and softened.
Allow to cool enough to blend, reheat gently and season to taste. Serve with a small dollop of plain yoghurt, and maybe some fresh coriander.