Recipe of the Month: Lentils soup with beans legume (Makhlouta: Lebanese winter dish)    
Ingredient
Yield: 5 serving
� 1 cup of red lentils
� � cup of garbanzo beans / chickpeas
� � cup of red beans boule or cranberry beans
� � cup of fava beans
� 2 tbsp pf Salt
� 3 tbsp of canola oil
� 1 big onion minced
� � tsp of cumin powder
� 1 tsp of sumac
� 6 cups of water


Preparation:

1. Before you cook them, pick through the beans and remove any stones (this is rare).
2. Put the beans in a large heavy based pot. Soak them for five to eight hours before cooking. Change the soaking water several times to degrade those enzymes and toxics compound that might cause gastric upset or what we call gas.
3. Boil them for 30 minutes and then change the water.
4. Add lentils to the beans mixture. About halfway through the cooking time, when the beans have softened, add salt and cumin to the beans to bring out their full flavor.
5. Reduce the heat and let the mix of beans & lentils simmer.
6. In a separate saucepan, fry the oil and minced onion until golden brown.
7. When the beans are fully cooked, add the golden brown onions, stir for 3 minutes or until the oil separates from the mixture. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
8. Serve hot and season with sumac before eating.

Bon appétit