Conscious Food Choices

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.

December 6, 2012 - Posted by Jorin Hawley | Low Carb Recipes, Recipes, Soups, Sugar Free/Unrefined Recipes, Vegan Recipes | ginger carrot soup recipe, vegan soup recipe, vitamix soup recipe