Spiced Carrot Soup

I had a great recipe planned for you guys yesterday. A low sugar, no-butter version of traditional southern “candied yams” (aka roasted sweet potatoes). But things got stressful, the day got away from me, Jason needed me to cut his hair, and night fell before I finished making them. However the recipe is delicious and I have it marked to share with you on a future Sunday. Since yesterday’s dish didn’t get here, I wanted to make it up to you.

In other words, I wanted to make a new and delicious detox-friendly lunch for Jason and I, while also making it up to you. The first thing was definitely accomplished.

I started out by drooling over Angela’s Carrot Apple Ginger Soup, which has been starred in my Google Reader since she posted it. Then I was thinking about how I wanted to spice it up a bit to make it more Jason-friendly, and that’s when I found a recipe for Indian Spiced Carrot Soup with Ginger on Epicurious (my recipe homeland). I loved the idea of doing Indian spices, but the Epicurious recipe was ironically lacking in authentic Indian spices so I took the base of the recipe and rolled with it on my own. There’s something very soothing about making soup on a Monday morning.

Did I mention that on Mondays I don’t have class until 2pm??? God loves me very much.

Spiced Carrot Soup

• 2 T. canola oil
• 1 t. curry powder
• 1 t. ground turmeric
• 1 t. ground corriander
• 1 t. ground cumin
• 1 t. garam masala
• 2 T. fresh ginger root, peeled and minced
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 t. lime zest
• approximately 4 cups peeled carrots, cut into thin slices
• 3 t. salt
• 1 t. pepper
• 4 c. low-sodium chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
• 1 c. light coconut milk
• 3 T. lime juice

-In a large pot over medium heat, heat the oil. When the oil is hot, add in the curry, turmeric, corriander, cumin, and garam masala. Stir to heat for about a minute.

-Add the minced ginger root to the pot and stir over medium heat for a couple more minutes.

-Add the onion to the pot. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

-Add the sliced carrots, lime zest, salt, and pepper to the pot. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

-Add the chicken stock, coconut milk, and lime juice to the pot. Stir and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Once it’s boiling, reduce the heat to low and allow the soup to simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes. Remove from heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes.

-Now it’s time to make it creamy! Using either a food processor or a blender, puree the soup well (you might need to do this in batches) until it’s all completely smooth and creamy. Return the soup to the pot and serve! Garnish with a little lime zest if desired. Makes 6 servings.

The flavors of the lime, ginger, and all those spices go so beautifully with the carrot. And it’s soooo silky and smooth that you won’t believe it.

For lunch we had it alongside some leftover naan bread and chicken tikka masala, but I could see this soup going perfectly with a nice grilled sandwich. Hello, tomorrow’s lunch.

I’m off to meet Jason at school for our night class! Oh, the joys of the rules criminal procedure. Such a blast.

Thanks for reading!