CURRIED/GINGERED CARROT SOUP

Skill Level: EASY

I’ve made this soup through trial and error and came up with this recipe. It uses no cream, but the bulky fiber from the carrots, when blended, makes for a nice thick soup.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil or canola oil
• 1 cup chopped onion (yellow not red)
• 1 tablespoon curry powder (generic curry powder from spice section of your supermarket)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoon fresh minced ginger (reserve 1 teaspoon for later)
• 1 seeded minced jalapeno (optional for heat)
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) chicken broth (about 3 1/2 cups) or vegetable broth if you are a vegetarian.
• 3 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon or lime juice
• coarse salt and ground pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, mint, or Italian parsley, for garnish (optional)

Directions

• Heat oil in (4- to 5-quart) stock pot over medium heat. Add onion, curry powder, salt/pepper to taste. Once onions are translucent (approximately 5-minutes), add ginger, garlic, and jalapeno (optional) and stir for another 2-minutes.
• Add broth, carrots, and 3 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover, and simmer until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.
• If you have a hand blender, let soup cool to warm and blend directly in the pot. If you do not have a hand blender, place it in a blender in small batches and purée until smooth; transfer to a clean saucepan. The soup should be relatively thick; however, if you want it thinner, simply add water until the desired consistency is achieved. Taste it and this is where you can add the reserved 1 teaspoon minced ginger, if you’d like a stronger ginger taste. Stir in lemon or lime juice. Test for salt/pepper, garnish and serve hot.

NOTE: if you’re not a diet, you can add a dollop of sour cream.