Aunt Alice's Red Lentil Soup

It's -30 out today; was the same yesterday, and we have the same forecast for the rest of the week.
It's a great day for Lentil Soup.  Aunt Alice's recipe is so good - everyone raves about it.  I made it last night, and may make it again this evening.

Note, you can make this soup with other lentils than red lentils, but you'll have a substantially different soup - and it really doesn't taste as good.

1 cup red lentils
6 cups chicken bouillon (or water)
2 TLB dehydrated minced onion
2 TLB dehydrated vegetables
1 tsp salt
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp curry powder
1 large potato or a handful of new mini potatoes, diced (optional)
1 large carrot, grated

Put everything into your soup pot.  Simmer for 20 minutes (or longer).  Blend with a hand blender.  Taste for salt and seasonings.  Serve.

OK - that's the original recipe.  How I've altered it:
I don't use the dehydrated onion; I take an entire onion, and put it in my blender with one of the cups of water from the soup.  I blend it until it's very fine.  I do the same with the potato and the carrot. 
Everything cooks so much faster, and I don't need to spend as much time with the hand blender at the end.

Secondly, I cook the whole thing in my instant pot.  I steam it for 10 minutes. 

Quick. Easy. Delicious!