Roasted carrots and red lentil cream of soup

Eleven years today and I still remember vividly every single moment I lived that day.
Whenever I celebrate my oldest daughter's birthday, I live those moments again. Excitement, joy. I still remember how impatient I was waiting to see her little face for the first time. Smiling, joking and laughing even when in pain.
 Becoming mom for the first time was, as it still is, the most beautiful thing that's ever happend to me. I used to sing "You are my sunshine..." to her when she was a baby... and she still is (all three of them are). She still brings sunshine into every room she enters.
May your life always be bright, colourful and wonderful.
Love,
Mom

Roasted carrots and red lentil cream of soup

(2 to 3 servings)
* 350 g carrots
* 2 small onions or shallots
* 50 g red lentils
* 1 clove of garlic
* 1 bay leaf
* 750 ml of vegetable stock
* 1/2 teaspoon of sweet paprika
* extra virgin olive oil
* salt and pepper

Peel the carrots and cut them in four lengthwise.
Peel the onions and cut them in wedges.
Season the vegetables with salt, pepper and a little extra virgin olive oil.
Put them in a large baking tray lined with baking paper, and roast them for 20 minutes in an oven preheated to 200°C.
Put the vegetable stock, the bay leaf, the garlic clove and the red lentils into a pot and bring to a boil.
Add the roasted vegetables (keep a few pieces for garnish). Cook the soup for 20 minutes.
Remove the bay leaf and process the soup in a blender or using a stick blender, until smooth.
Season the soup with paprica, a little freshly ground pepper and a little extra virgin olive oil.
Plate the soup and garnish with vegetables kept aside.

Vellutata di carote arrostite e lenticchie rosse

(per 2-3 porzioni)
* 350 g carote
* 2 cipolle piccole o scalogni
* 50 g di lenticchie rosse decorticate
* 1 spicchio d'aglio
* 1 foglia di alloro
* 750 ml di brodo vegetale
* 1/2 cucchiaino di paprica dolce
* olio extravergine d'oliva
* sale pepe

Pulite le carote e tagliatele in quarti per il lungo.
Sbucciate le cipolle, tagliatele a spicchi e unitele alle carote.
Condite le verdure con sale, pepe e un po' di olio. Sistematele su una placca da forno rivestita di carta da forno e cuocetele per 20 minuti a 200°C.
Unite in una pentola le lenticchie rosse, il brodo vegetale, lo spicchio d'aglio intero e la foglia di alloro. Portate a bollore e poi unite anche le verdure cotte al forno (mettete da parte qualche pezzo di carota per decorazione). Lasciate cuocere per 20 minuti nella pentola semi coperta.
Eliminate l'alloro e frullate la preparazione.
Profumate con la paprica dolce, il pepe e un giro di olio.
Servite la vellutata, guarnitela con le verdure tenute da parte.

Krem juha od pečene mrkve s crvenom lećom

(za 2-3 osobe)
* 350 g mrkve
* 2 male glavice luka ili ljutike
* 50 g crvene leće
* 1 češanj bijelog luka
* 1 list lovora
* 750 ml povrtnog temeljca
* 1/2 žličice slatke mljevene paprike
* ekstradjevičansko maslinovo ulje
* sol i papar

Ogulite mrkve i narežite ih na četvero po dužini.
Očistite luk i narežite ga na veće komade. Pomiješajte luk s mrkvom, posolite i popaprite, polijte s malo ulja i rasporedite na veliki pleh obložen papirom za pečenje.
Stavite peći u pećnicu zagrijanu na 200°C, 20 minuta.
Leću dodajte u lonac s povrtnim temeljcem, češnjem bijelog luka i listom lovora.
Kad temeljac proključa, dodajte pečeno povrće (ostavite sa strane malo povrća za posluživanje).
Kuhajte 20 minuta u polupokrivenom loncu.
Izvadite lovor i smiksajte juhu u blenderu ili štapnim mikserom. Začinite juhu slatkom paprikom i mljevenim paprom, dodajte malo maslinovog ulja.
Rasporedite juhu u tanjure i ukrasite povrćem koje ste ranije odvojili.