Curried Heirloom Carrot Soup

Still winter... though you wouldn't know it based on the SoCal weather!

Even so, I've been in winter comfort food mode. One of my favorite things to make this time of year is root vegetable dishes. I always keep carrots stored away. They're such handy ingredients in so many different dishes. Check out these beautiful organic heirloom carrots.

I whipped them up for lunch, turning them into a lovely little soup. This soup is vegan—instead of cream, I add a few peeled potatoes to give it a creaminess. Though I did serve it with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt (totally optional). Curry powder gives the soup an unexpected twist.

Did I mention this recipe is easy peasy?

And it's hearty enough to be the centerpiece to a meal. Keeps great in the fridge, and it's even better the next day, if I so say so myself. What else is there to say?

Curried Heirloom Carrot Soup
Serves 4 to 6 people
Cooking time: about 25 minutes
Vegan; gluten-free

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and chopped
1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped
4 cups low sodium vegetable stock (plus more for desired thickness)
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder
about 1 tablespoon maple syrup (possibly more to taste depending on the sweetness of the carrots)
salt and freshly ground pepper
good olive oil for drizzling
creme fraiche or plain Greek yogurt for garnishing (optional)

Directions
1. In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until softened (about five minutes). Add the garlic and curry powder and saute for another minute, or until fragrant. Add the carrots, potatoes, and stock. Bring to a boil and then cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about twenty minutes.

2. Remove from heat and puree the soup until smooth using an immersion blender, or transfer to a regular blender and puree in batches. Season to taste with maple syrup (for extra sweetness), salt, and pepper. Note: more stock may be added to achieve desired consistency.

3. To serve ladle the soup into bowels and drizzle with good olive oil. Top with a dollop of creme fraiche or plain Greek yogurt if desired. Enjoy!

Quick Curried Carrot Soup (Vegan)

I've been in a soup-making mode...

I love it for lunch. I love it for dinner. Leftover the next day?

Even better as the flavors soak together. I've been into vegan purees lately using my immersion blender. I swear there's nothing easier to have in your cooking repertoire than vegan purees. They're so tasty—so seemingly fancy—yet so simple that they impress at dinner parties.

Feeling a little under the weather?

Soups are healing for the throat and the winter-weary soul.

Another great tip?

Serve them with a quick cast iron skillet cornbread. I make mine gluten-free and with fresh blackberries (frozen would work great too). Soup and cornbread are a hearty, healthy complete meal.

I almost always have bags of baby carrots in my fridge. They're a great snack, especially with hummus. But they're also great roasted (check out my recipe for Honey Rosemary Baby Carrots) or pureed into a quick soup. Of course, you can use normal-sized carrots too. It's just a bit more prep work peeling and chopping them. The only other big ingredient is a bit of curry powder. The spicy, gingery flavor gives this soup and little bit of added flare. It also comes out of the pantry.

I make this soup all the time. It's basically one of my pantry staples. So I thought I'd finally photograph and write it up for you lovely readers.

You can also swap out carrots for butternut squash in this recipe for a different sort of soup. A great tip—Trader Joe's sells peeled and cubed butternut squash that takes the work out of the prep.

Serve with Gluten Free Blackberry Cornbread

Quick Curried Carrot Soup (Vegan)
Serves 4 to 6 people
Cooking time: about 25 minutes
Vegan; gluten-free

Ingredients
1 pound baby carrots
4 cups low sodium vegetable stock
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon curry powder (or more to taste)
1 bunch fresh thyme tied together with kitchen twine or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon maple syrup (optional)
salt and freshly ground pepper
good olive oil for drizzling

Directions
1. Place the carrots, garlic cloves, stock, and thyme into a heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.

2. Remove from heat and fish out the bunch of thyme if using fresh thyme. Stir in the curry powder and maple syrup. Puree the soup until smooth using an immersion blender, or transfer to a regular blender and puree in batches. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Note: more stock or water may be added to achieve desired consistency.

3. To serve ladle the soup into bowels and drizzle with good olive oil. If desired garnish with fresh thyme sprigs. Enjoy!

My Chopped Chef Salad

Fall has finally arrived in Los Angeles... and I sure hope it sticks around!

This month should also be officially renamed "Rocktober." It feels like every major artist and band has been playing the southland this month. In the last two weeks alone I've seen—Florence + The Machine (amazing!), David Byrne & St. Vincent (also amazing), Neil Young and Crazy Horse (words cannot describe the amazingness), a tiny private Deadmau5 show (set to air on KCRW in November), and Peaches (love her). And I only had to pay for tickets to two of them!

I love music and find it great inspiration for cooking and writing. I almost always have it on when I'm making a meal, or sitting at my computer (I'm listening to Yeasayer right now). Today's recipe is one of my favorite dishes to throw together for a healthy, protein-packed lunch.

It's my take on a Chef Salad. I like my salads chopped—more yumminess in every bite. This salad combines high protein ingredients, such as salami, turkey, feta cheese, and quinoa. And lots of great vegetables, like cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper, and arugula. The secret ingredients? Fresh chopped dill and hearts of palm (though artichoke hearts would be great, too). As a note, I love using leftover quinoa (or other grains) by throwing them into salads the next day.

As for dressing, I love Annie's Naturals Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette, but any sort of vinaigrette would taste great. You can also just whip up your own dressing (this is my fast lunch recipe, so occasionally shortcuts can really make a difference).

Chopped Chef Salad

Serves 2 people
Prep time: less than 10 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup sliced deli turkey, chopped
1/4 cup salami, chopped
1/2 cup quinoa, cooked
1/4 cup feta, crumbled
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup hearts of palm, chopped
vinaigrette of your choosing (such as Annie's Natural Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette)

Directions

1. Place ingredients in a salad bowl and add the vinaigrette. Toss the salad well.

2. To serve, distribute the salad evenly between two bowls. Garnish with a little fresh chopped dill and freshly ground pepper, if desired. Enjoy!

Pomegranate Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Only four days left.

Until I disembark for Los Angeles.

Virginia has been a whirlwind of a trip. Cliche I know, but it did go by too quickly. It was productive (I finished the draft of my new book—now I'm in editing land). The weather finally cooperated. I enjoyed seeing my parents and spending time with them, but I'm looking forward to returning west.

I love the west coast, and I love Los Angeles.

P.S. Check out my friend Jennifer Handford's novel DAUGHTERS FOR A TIME now available on Amazon (and if you're a Prime member, you can borrow it for FREE!).

I know why you came.

Here's a great way to use leftover chicken—Pomegranate Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwiches. I made these for lunch the other week, and they were delicious. In addition to pomegranates, I added sunflower seeds and tarragon.

Simple, healthy, lots of textures and flavors.

How can you resist?

Pomegranate Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Serves 4 people
Prep time: 10 minutes
Dairy-free

Ingredients

2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
2 tablespoons mayonaise
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 shallot, peeled and chopped
1 large celery rib, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
salt and freshly ground pepper
4 pieces of whole grain toast
2 cups mixed greens (for serving)

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken, mayonaise, mustard, pomegranate seeds, tarragon, shallot, lemon juice, and celery. Mix well.

2. Season the mixture to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.

3. Place some of the mixed greens on each piece of toast. Top with a generous portion of chicken salad. Serve the sandwiches open faced. Enjoy!

Variations

The bread may be omitted and the chicken salad served over the mixed greens for a lighter lunch.