From My Bowl

0 Sear: Warm the olive oil in a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, carefully add the shallots to the center of the pot, cut-side down. Gently sprinkle the chopped carrots over the shallots and spread them out so most of them are touching the bottom of the pot. Sear the vegetables for 3 to 4 minutes, until the bottom of the shallots are browned. Flip the shallots and do your best to flip the carrots; sauté for an additional 2 to 3 minutes until browned. Reduce the heat to medium.
1 Aromatics: Add the garlic, harissa, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, and black pepper to the pot and mix well. Sauté the spices until fragrant and browned, 1 to 2 minutes.
2 Lentils: Add the rinsed lentils to the pot along with the vegetable broth, water, and salt. Use a spatula to gently scrape off any browned bits from the bottom of the pot if necessary, then mix well and cover the pot.
3 Simmer: Bring the pot to a boil over high-heat, then uncover the pot, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer until the lentils are tender, 12 to 14 minutes. Stir the soup occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. If the soup begins to splatter you can reduce the heat to medium-low.
4 Blend: Carefully transfer the soup to a high-speed blender with a venting lid; you will most likely need to work in 2 batches. Blend the soup on high speed for 45 to 60 seconds or until it is smooth, then return to the pot. (Note: I do not recommend using an immersion blender for this recipe as the carrots and shallot are cut too large).
5 Final Touches: Return the soup to the pot and stir in the lemon juice and any extra salt and pepper, to taste. If the soup is too thick for your preference  you can thin it out with additional water or vegetable broth.
6 Serve & Store: Serve warm and topped as desired; I like to garnish each soup with a dollop of vegan yogurt, a drizzle of olive oil, and some fresh herbs. Store any leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or you can freeze leftovers for up to 2 months.