Vegan Lentil Soup

1 lb lentils
8 c water or vegetable broth
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, peeled and minced
1 serrano chile, minced
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chile powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 coriander
1/4 star anise
1/4 cardamom
1 tbsp cornstarch
salt
oil

In a large pot heat oil. Add onion, garlic, ginger, and serrano and cook till aromatic. Add the spices (for freshly ground spices, blend whole spices in a coffee grinder) and toast for a few minutes. CAUTION: do not let them burn. Add lentils and water/vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Simmer for 35-40 minutes until tender. Lastly, dissolve the cornstarch in water. Add the mixture to the soup. Continue till heat until slightly thickened.

My friend wrote the following article about veganism. I myself am not vegan, but I encourage people to eat more protein from plant based sources especially with the expanding market focusing on plant based protein.

I am eighteen years old and a life long vegan. This means that I have never eaten meat, dairy, eggs, fish, or any other products that come from animals. The most common response I get from people when they find out that I am vegan, is to tell me I don't know what I am missing. Truthfully I don't feel like I am missing out on anything at all. I actually find being vegan in a mostly non-vegan world to be liberating rather than constraining, because I know I am having fun and eating foods I enjoy, without contributing to the confinement, harming, and killing of animals. Plus, vegetarian and vegan options are growing everywhere, making it much easier to eat vegan in most situations. In Kansas City alone there are now three vegan restaurants, and across the country, there are more then nine thousand restaurants and health food stores that specialize in vegan foods. While I have no personal experience to tell how I feel eating a vegan diet versus a non-vegan diet, there are countless doctors and dieticians now recommending a vegan diet to help people feel better, lose weight, and simply become healthier. Heart disease is the number one killer in the US, and research now shows that it can be reversed on a vegan diet. This whole vegan thing is growing so large we have a conference put on by the North America Vegetarian Society called 'Vegetarian Summerfest' with more than seven hundred people in attendance, who come to connect with other like-minded people, learn about veganism, have fun, and eat great vegan food for a week. Above all, for many others and me, veganism is a social justice movement that we can participate in by simply making a choice about what we put on our plate. I believe that if we can be happy and healthy by choosing the alternative plant based option rather than the one that contributes to the death of any animal, in any way, we should do so. The bottom line for me is, I love animals and I don't want any choice I make, to contribute to the suffering of any single animal, be it an animal like a dog, or a cow. That is why I am vegan and will continue to stay so.