As I was digging through my veggie bin this morning I noticed a large bag of carrots that were starting to look a little sad. Somehow things always get pushed to the bottom of the bin and sometimes its too late – but these I rescued in the nick of time. My husband had picked up a root of ginger at the store the other day and I had been contemplating what in the world I was going to do with it.Ah-ha! Ginger carrot soup! Should be simple and easy to throw together with what I have in the fridge and I figured we could eat on it a couple times during the week.
Here’s how I made it. You will need:
14 carrots peeled, ends removed and cut into 2 inch pieces
Two large shallots
Two stalks celery
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger root
3 to 4 good sized cloves of garlic (I like garlic, but you can add less if you want)
64 oz chicken or veggie stock (I used chicken for extra flavor)
1 cup water
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of 1/2 lime
Directions:
Chop shallot and celery and saute in a heavy pot with two tbsp olive oil until translucent.
Add 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper while sauteing.
While that saute’s grate 1/2 tsp ginger and your garlic.
Add ginger and garlic to pot and stir briefly until you begin to smell the aroma of both.
Add your cut up carrots, your stock and water.
Let simmer until carrots are soft throughout – about 20-25 minutes. If your stock reduces too low, just add water a cup at a time.
Turn soup off and let sit about 10 minutes to cool.
Spoon contents into your blender and process until very smooth and silky. If you are using a hand immersion blender, blend as smooth as possible.
Pour soup back into pot and put on low heat. Squeeze the 1/2 lime (this helps brighten the flavors) into the pot and add salt to taste.
Heat on low until bubbly.
Serve with garnish of thinly chopped scallions or chopped cilantro. Add an extra squeeze of lime if you like.
This soup was so simple to put together! The added benefit to tasting great is that it is also healthy. But I did not tell Bruce or the girls that! God knows I need that vitamin A as it seems my eyesight is deteriorating quicker every day.
The Dizzy Gourmet 