Lentil Rye Berry Soup

I want to start off by saying that I love the Dekalb Farmers Market (or World Market, which describes it more accurately).  If you haven't been there, go there.  If you have, then you probably know what I mean.  I love it because they have 1) a HUGE selection of fresh fruits and vegetables, 2) a variety of international foods, and 3) really affordable prices.  I like to keep my eating, cooking, and grocery shopping exciting so I make little challenges for myself (if you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a dork).  One challenge I like to give myself at the Dekalb Farmers Market is to find an item that I've never cooked/eaten, or better yet, find something I've never even heard of and buy it.  Then the fun part comes where I research the food and figure out what to do with it. 

My most recent personal challenge were rye berries.  Sadly I only found one recipe on Tastespotting.com that featured rye berries (pretty odd, considering how many unusual recipes are on that website).  So I'm on my own but since its a grain I'm going to play it safe and make soup. The rest of the recipe (made up as I went by yours truly) is based on other soups I like and whatever I had in the house.

Lentil and Rye Berry Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 an onion

1 carrot, sliced

1 rib of celery, sliced

1/2 Tbsp minced garlic 

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp dried cilantro

1/2 tsp (or to taste) ground red pepper (or cayenne)

1/2 tsp crushed dried rosemary

freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup brown lentils

1/2 cup rye berries

6 cups water (+3 vegetable boullion cubes 

[or equivalent broth])

1 cup frozen spinach

Heat the oil in a pot for a minute, then add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic.  Cook for a few minutes or until the veggies start to look a little softer and smell really good.  

Then add all the seasonings.  Next pour in the water (or broth), lentils, and rye berries.  Not knowing how long the rye berries would take to cook, I let my soup simmer for some time.  It ended up being about 40-50 minutes but taste them occasionally to see when they're done.  They'll be a bit on the chewy side but that's just the nature of whole grains.   It took about the same time for the lentils to cook.  

The soup would be just fine at this point but I want more nutrients (naturally).  Stir in the spinach and heat for a few more minutes so you don't end up eating cold spinach.  

I find this soup quite delicious.  Other important comments:  It's healthy!  It's low in fat and full of protein, fiber, and other nutrients.  It's also souper affordable.  My guesstimate = < $4 for the whole pot if you shop at the Farmers Market.