Creamy Carrot Soup

Creamy Carrot Soup

  • Serves: 4
  • Prep Time: 00:10
  • Cooking Time: 00:35
Print

This delicious thick and creamy soup is flavoured with a hint of Eastern spices. Carrots provide so many health benefits, mainly due to their high content of beta-carotene and fibre. They are also rich in antioxidants, vitamins A, C and K. Serve with Seeded Dinner Rolls straight from the oven, yum!

Ingredients

* Please click on the green icon next to the ingredients listed below for extra details and helpful information.

  • 1 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 Lge onion(s), diced
  • 3 tsp garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp ginger, minced or grated
  • 1 kg carrot(s), peeled and sliced
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 - 1.25 L vegetable or chicken broth/stock
  • Sea salt and pepper , to taste
  • 250ml coconut milk, plus extra to drizzle on top when serving
  • Chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

Directions

Add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to a heavy based saucepan, heat on medium.

Add onion and cook stirring for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and stir through.

Toss the carrot, cinnamon, coriander, cumin and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil through the onion mixture. Cook for 1 - 2 minutes or until the spices are fragrant.

Add broth/stock to the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover saucepan and cook for 20 - 25 minutes or until the carrot is tender.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour in the coconut milk and stir through.

Transfer soup into a blender, being careful not to burn yourself (or use a stick blender). Blend on variable speed, increasing to high to reach a smooth consistency. Return to the saucepan add extra stock/broth if you find the consistency too thick for your liking. Return back to the heat if the soup has cooled.

Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with a little coconut milk and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

coconut oil

Coconut oil is one of the most nutritious fats to cook and bake with. Use organic extra-virgin coconut oil which is unrefined and unbleached from non GMO coconuts. Coconut oil has a high smoking point and it is slow to oxidize due to its high saturated fat content, thus, resistant to going rancid. Some studies suggest coconut oil helps with digestion, including irritable bowel, tummy bugs, candida and parasites due to this oil containing short term medium-chain saturated fatty acids (MCFAs), which is a healthy form of saturated fat.

onion(s)

In my recipes when listing onion I am referring to a brown (also called yellow) onion. Onions are members of the allium plant family which also includes garlic, leeks, spring onions and shallots. Onions are valued more for the flavour they impart in cooking than for their nutritional content. Onions are know for their antibacterial effect helping to prevent superficial infections and their sulfur compounds may block carcinogens.

garlic

Garlic is a close relative to the onion and has been used throughout history for both medicinal and culinary purposes. In most of my recipes I use minced garlic as I find it distributes better throughout the dish. When in a hurry I use organic minced garlic which I purchase in glass jars and store in the fridge. When garlic powder is needed for a particular recipe, I use 'Simply Organic' brand. Why is garlic so good for us? It is an immune booster, antibiotic, good for the heart, cancer fighter and it's also knew as a weight loss aid (appetite suppressant).

ginger

Ginger root is widely used as a spice but also for medicinal purposes. It is a hot spice which you will find in many commercial curry powders. It's often used to prevent motion sickness and nausea. Some studies have shown joint swelling in people suffering with arthritis experience less pain and swelling when taken daily. I like to use fresh minced ginger in my meals and dry ground ginger in baked goods.

carrot(s)

This crunchy orange root vegetable is rich in beta-carotene, which is converted into vitamin A in the liver. They are good for the eyes and improve night vision. You get vitamin A and a host of other powerful health benefits from carrots, including cancer prevention, helps prevent infections and heart disease, protects teeth and gums and promotes healthier skin.

cinnamon

I am sure you will notice as you read my recipes that cinnamon appears quite frequently. It lends itself to savoury and sweet dishes. I have used ground cinnamon in my recipes if not stated otherwise. The best cinnamon to use is Ceylon (Verum). It has huge health benefits in regulating blood sugar levels. Cinnamon has antifungal properties and candida (yeast overgrowth) cannot live in a cinnamon environment. Added to food it inhibits bacterial growth, making it a natural food preservative and these are just a few of the benefits.

coriander

Coriander is also know as cilantro. The fresh chopped green leaves in large amounts are a good source of vitamin C. The fresh leaves are an ingredient in many Indian, Thai, and Mexican dishes. They are usually tossed through just before serving as the heat can diminish the flavour. The dried fruits are known as coriander seeds, the seeds have a lemony citrus flavour when crushed. The word coriander in food preparation may only be referring to the ground seeds not the plant.

cumin

Cumin is a medium - hot spice which blends well in curries and is the main spice in the Middle Eastern dip, hummus. It is being studied for potential anti-oxidant and anticancer effects.

chicken broth/stock

Making homemade chicken broth is a great way to heal Leaky Gut and excellent to drink when unwell. Traditionally broth was made just from bones and simmered for hours to remove the gelatin, marrow and goodness from them. These days vegetables are also added to give extra flavour. By using a slow cooker, making your own broth/stock is so easy. As soon as a roast chicken is eaten, all the bones go into the freezer ready for the next batch of broth. If purchasing store-bought stocks, read the labels as many companies have changed the name of MSG to yeast extract. Organic or free-range brands are available. My Chicken broth recipe is on page 295 of The JOYful Table cookbook. Freeze ice block trays filled with chicken broth for when a small amount is required for a recipe. You can also use an organic concentrated bone broth paste or dehydrated chicken bone broth powder and add them to filtered water.

coconut milk

I use this extensively throughout my recipes; from soups to dinners to desserts and cakes. I think it is the best dairy-free alternative. It gives so much flavour and creaminess to a wide variety of dishes. See coconut milk recipe on page 299 of The JOYful Table cookbook. If purchasing in the can read your labels, even some organic brands contain gums and thickeners, choose full-fat not low-fat versions. I use Honest To Goodness organic cream 400ml and Ayam which isn't organic but has no additives or thickeners and is much creamier and thicker than other brands (that's why I love it), it comes in 400ml, 270ml and 140ml size cans.

parsley

Parsley would be the most widely used herb worldwide. The two main varieties of this herb are curly parsley with ruffled leaves and Italian parsley with flat leaves. In general flat-leaf parsley has a more robust flavour than the curly leave parsley. Its fresh green flavour and colour can be much more than just a garnish. Both kinds of parsley may be used in cooking. Fresh parsley contains useful amounts of vitamin C, calcium, iron and potassium. Parsley is also high in bioflavonoids and other anticancer compounds.