Silky Ginger Carrot Soup
It’s starting to get blustery and cold in New York City, and all I want to do is hole up in my cozy apartment and make soup! This soup is very versatile – I made it simply ginger for an Asian-y accompaniment to my vegetarian “Chinese Chicken” Salad and Sesame Scallion Buns meal last fall, but it can just as easily be Mexican-ed up by replacing the ginger with cumin and adding a pinch of oregano.* (And for an awesome raw version, check out this one: Warm Winter Carrot Soup.)
The secret of this soup is to get it really really smooth – it will be ok done in a blender, but it is divine when made in the Vitamix…
Silky Ginger Carrot Soup for 6
- 2# carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 medium onions, sliced evenly
- 2 T olive or coconut oil
- 1 t. Himalayan or high mineral salt
- 1/t t. white pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cups water or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked for 2 hours and drained**
- 1 – 2 cups water
- 2 – 3 T. fresh ginger, grated
- 1 – 2 t. maple syrup (optional)
- 1/2 t. umeboshi vinegar or squeeze of lemon (optional)
In the bottom of a heavy-bottomed soup pot, saute onions with salt and pepper in oil over medium heat until starting to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add carrots and bay leaf and sweat them another 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, with a lid loosely on the pot. Add enough water to cover carrots (about 4 cups, but you can eyeball it), bring to a boil, and cook until the carrots are tender enough to cut with a fork, but still bright orange. About 10-15 minutes, depending on how thinly you have sliced them. Remove bay leaves, add cashews, and blend in Vitamix very well, being careful to start slowly with the top securely on. You can bring the soup up to the highest speed and then leave it there for at least a minute. I walk away…
Add grated ginger, ume vinegar and 1 – 2 cups water, slowly, thinning to desired consistency. Add maple syrup, salt and pepper to taste. Finish with a splash of umeboshi vinegar, or a squeeze of lemon. Rewarm lightly if not serving immediately, but do not boil.
Serve garnished with a few sprigs of fresh cilantro, or thinly sliced scallion tops.
*This recipe can also go East Indian if you do ginger, cumin, coriander and turmeric with the onions, or Moroccan if you do all of the Indian spices but add cinnamon and a pinch of saffron in the with carrots… play with it!
**You can replace the cashews and 2 cups water with almond milk, or hemp, soy or oat milk.
Sesame Scallion Buns
These are really fun buns – stuffed with scallions and rolled up like a big green jelly roll. I went with Asian – scallions and sesame – to make a meal out of “Chinese Chicken” Salad and Silky Ginger Carrot Soup, but you can really stuff them with whatever you want. I have been known to use any extra dough for tomorrow morning’s cinnamon sticky buns…Mmmm…
Sesame Scallion Buns
(about 12 large)
- 1 1/3 cup warm water
- 2 t. honey
- 2 t yeast (1 packet or fresh cube)
- 4 cups flour (up to 2 cups white whole wheat, or 1 cup whole wheat)
- 1 t. salt
- 1/2 bunch scallions, sliced thinly
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 2 t. sesame oil
- more sesame for sprinkling (black is nice!)
- flaky salt for sprinkling
Dissolve yeast in warm water and honey – proof for 5 minutes. Add flour with salt slowly, beating well with a wooden spoon to activate gluten at around 3 cups. Knead dough 3-4 minutes, adding a small amount of flour if necessary. Let rest a few minutes and then knead for 5 – 10 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic, (about 10 – 15 minutes total knead and rest time).
Let proof in a lightly covered, oiled bowl for 1 – 2 hours, until doubled in sized. On a board scattered lightly with sesame seeds, pat dough out into large rectangle about 1 inch thick. Toss sliced scallions in sesame oil with a pinch of salt and scatter evenly over top of dough. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup sesame seeds. Roll dough up into a tight jellyroll, lengthwise. Slice gently with a lightly oiled, serrated bread knife and place 2″ apart on a well oiled, or parchment-lined sheetpan. Sprinkle tops with a little flaky salt and black sesame. Let rise in a warm spot for 1 – 2 hours, until doubled in size.
Bake in a pre-heated 350° oven until fragrant and golden brown on top – about 15 – 20 minutes. Serve warm!
Conscious Food Choices 