Rustic Lentil Zucchini Soup

This is a soup made from some of our garden zucchini abundance. We are thankful for the bounty that these plants continue to offer us, but I have been trying to come up with new ways to serve zucchini so that my children will continue to eat it. This soup certainly stepped up to the plate, er, bowl. The zucchini didn't overpower the other flavors and was a nice change for my children, who ate it all up. By the way, we eat soup year round, we love it so, therefore the hot dish doesn't bother us. Maybe you'll like it, too.

Rustic Lentil Zucchini Soup

Ingredients:

8 cups of water
1 cup of lentils
2 Tbs. of homemade bouillon or one cube of store bought bouillon
5 zucchinis, chopped
1 - 28oz. can petite diced tomatoes
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1/2 cup of parsley, chopped
1 and 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 and 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 cup of pre-cooked brown rice

Directions:

Put the water and lentils in a large pot together on medium heat. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining ingredients, except the rice, and continue cooking for another fifteen minutes or until the lentils are completely cooked and the veggies are tender. Add the rice and stir five minutes before serving. Great with a hunk of good bread and a side salad. Feeds five hungry vegans.