Prep your ingredients by finely chopping a medium sized onion and crushing or finely chopping 3 cloves of garlic.Wash the Swiss chard thoroughly and set aside to dry.
Heat up the olive oil in a deep soup pot.Add the finely chopped onion and crushed garlic and sauté over medium heat for 5 minutes until translucent.Set aside in a small bowl.
In the large pot, add 1 cup of brown lentil and 6-8 cups of water. Boil lentils over medium-high heat for 20 minutes until tender.
Cut the stems off the Swiss chard and chop into ½-1 inch in width. Add to the lentils.
Add the sautéed onion mixture along with salt, cumin, and black pepper.
Let simmer for 10 minutes. Add more water if soup gets too thick.
Juice 1 lemon and add to the soup. Taste for seasoning and lemon.Serve warm with toasted bread.