Lentil and vegetable soup with salad and bread

TUESDAY
LENTIL AND VEGETABLE SOUP

This soup is nice and thick, and you can thin it to taste with stock or milk. If you want a no-fat soup, simply add all the vegetables and lentils to the stock, and simmer until tender. Gill Holcombe says, "Use red or yellow lentils if you want to avoid soaking them in advance, otherwise brown and green lentils or chick peas will do the job."
Personal note: You really don't have to soak green lentils, I've used them before. As long as you have around 30 minutes to cook them you'll be fine.
Ingredients
200g (1 cup) red lentils
2 small potatoes
1/2 small swede(rutabaga or turnip)
2-3 carrots
1 smallish parsnip
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1 litre (4 cups) vegetable stock
225ml (1 cup) milk
oil
seasoning
parsley (optional)
1 level tbsp curry powder (optional)

Method
1.Peel and chop the vegetables
2.Warm the oil in a very large saucepan and gently soften the garlic and onion. Add the curry powder if using.
3.Add the lentils and cook for 1 minute.
4.Add the vegetables and cook on a low heat for 5 minutes or so.
5.Add the stock, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
6.Blend, season to taste and serve garnished with parsley if you wish.

Serve with a nice salad of arugala, tomatoes, parsley and spring onions and some fresh homemade artisan bread.
More Autumn fare but hey, we use what we have on hand.

The Result?
I wasn't exactly thrilled with this one. My husband liked it enormously however I found it to be missing something however I could not figure out what.
I don't really know if I'll ever end up making this again.