Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Simple Suppers: Carrot-Ginger Soup!



Happy Almost-Thanksgiving!

When we think of T-Day, I know our minds instantly conjure up images of Turkeys, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes and Pumpkin Pie, but one of my favorite ways to kick off any epic meal is with soup!  It's like the perfect pre-party before the big game - a warm, cozy bowl of sumptuous flavor that warms up your palate and gets your ready for the main course.

For that reason, instead of a traditional Thanksgiving recipe, I'm bringing you my take on the classic Carrot-Ginger Soup, a perfect holiday dish that has all the flavors you want this time of year, from sweet to savory and from sweet to spicy.  As mentioned, this soup would be great served as a first course to a holiday dinner, or simply paired with a salad for a simple supper!

For an extra kick of deliciousness, I drizzled roasted walnut oil over the soup right before serving it,  If you've never tasted roasted walnut oil, then your life simply isn't complete!  I'm obsessed with the stuff and will be giving it out as a holiday gift this year, that's how much I love it. 

Carrot-Ginger Soup
Serves 4 people

1 onion, peeled and chopped
3 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large or 3 small potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 tsp chili flakes
1 bay leaf
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
salt & pepper

optional: roasted walnut oil for drizzling

Directions: 

In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onions, reduce heat to medium and saute until softened and slightly translucent, but not browned (about 5 minutes).  Once the onions have softened, add the garlic, chili flakes and ginger and cook for one minute. Add the carrots, potatoes, bay leaf and stock.  Bring to a simmer and then cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 30 minutes, or until all the vegetables have softened.

Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.  Once it's cool enough to handle, take out the bay leaf and discard, transfer the mixture to a blender and puree the soup, in two batches if necessary.  Return to the pot and season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Note: if the soup is too thick, you can thin it with additional stock or water to your desired consistency.

To serve, ladle the soup into a bowl.  Drizzle with roasted walnut oil or good olive oil and top with fresh ground pepper.  Enjoy!

Source for Ingredients:

organic heirloom carrots, organic onion, ginger, organic potatoes & organic roasted walnut oil from Hollywood Farmers Market

organic low sodium vegetable stock and chili flakes from Trader Joe's

organic bay leaf and organic olive oil from Whole Foods

Nutrition Facts:

Carrot-Ginger Soup

4 Servings

Amount Per Serving: 

Calories 172.3  
Total Fat 3.8 g
          Saturated Fat 0.5 g
          Polyunsaturated Fat 0.5 g
          Monounsaturated Fat 2.5 g

Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 794.6 mg
Potassium 765.4 mg
Total Carbohydrate 32.2 g
          Dietary Fiber 6.5 g
          Sugars 7.1 g

Protein 3.3 g

2 comments:

  1. what a wonderful looking soup and great combo of ingredients
    Happy thanksgiving

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks so much for the great comment! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

    xo
    Jen

    ReplyDelete