Recipe: Roasted Carrot Ginger Soup

Since ginger is the featured spice of the week, I would like to share one of my favorite ways of using ginger with you: my homemade roasted carrot ginger soup! The sweetness from the roasted carrots and the flavors from the onion and ginger combine to create a dynamite combination! I sometimes add celery for added flavor. However, celery is optional. Check out the recipe below!

Ingredients:

10-12 peeled carrots with tips cut

2 medium onions, diced

1 celery stalk, diced (optional)

1/4 cup finely grated or minced ginger root (peeling optional)

salt and pepper to taste

oil

4-6 cups of chicken or vegetable broth (depending on your desired consistency)

Equipment:

Knife

Cutting board

Large spoon

Stockpot with lid

Vegetable peeler

Blender

Oven

1 or 2 cookie sheets

Box grater

Parchment paper

Methods:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut the tips off of each carrot and then peel, wash, and dry.
3. Cut each carrot into approximately 1 inch pieces and cut the pieces in half.
4. Put carrots into large bowl and add oil and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Mix carrots, oil, salt and pepper with hands until all of the carrots are evenly coated
6. Place all carrots on cookie sheet(s) in single layers and roast in oven for approximately 40-55 minutes (or until they are fork tender).
7. While the carrots are cooking, dice the onions and celery and grate the ginger.
8. After the carrots have finished cooking, warm the stockpot on the stove with medium heat with 3 Tbsp of oil.
9. Once the pot and oil are hot, put the onions, ginger, celery, and salt and pepper to taste in the pot.
10. Cook the onions, ginger, and celery for 5-7 minutes until they are shiny and fragrant. Stir occasionally as they are cooking so they will not stick to the pot.
11. Add carrots and 4 cups of broth to the broth. Turn heat to low and put lid on pot. Let soup simmer for 10-15 minutes.
12. Turn heat off and blend on “purée” or “liquify” setting until soup is completely blended. I like my soup on the thicker side so I leave it as is. If you want a thinner consistency, pour soup back into stockpot over medium heat. Stir in 1 or 2 cups of broth for 3-5 minutes or until warm.

Be careful when blending hot foods! Blend in batches. Do not fill the blender to more than half of its capacity! When blending hot foods, take the center piece off of the top and place a washcloth over the hole to prevent the top from coming off due to the heat!

Quick nutrition facts:

Carrots are a good source of Vitamin A, potassium, fiber, and antioxidants with cancer fighting properties. Ginger contains anti-nausea and anti-inflammatory properties.