RECIPE: Creamy Carrot Soup

This was a warm and delicious soup.  It's not sweet by any stretch of the imagination.  I hope you'll give it a try!

Cream Carrot Soup (adapted from allrecipes)
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
4-1/2 cups sliced carrots
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
3-1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon ground ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger root)
2.5 oz fat free evaporated milk*
13.5 oz can light coconut milk*
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
dash of nutmeg

In a Dutch oven, saute onion in butter until tender.  I added the seasonings during this step to help cook the spices to avoid a raw flavor.

Add carrots, potato and broth. Cover and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Cool for 15 minutes.

Transfer to a blender or food processor in small batches;

cover and process until smooth.

Return all to the pan; stir in the milks* and season with salt and pepper.

Cook over low heat until heated through.  Taste and adjust the seasonings, don't be afraid to add extra ginger or cayenne.

Makes 6 - 1 cup servings; 221.7 calories, 12.1 gr fat, 24.2 g carbs, 3.9 g protein

*You can substitute 2 cups of half and half for the evaporated milk and coconut milk.

I would like to try this using sweet potatoes, but I think it might make it more sweet.  I love the savory flavor of this soup.  And don't be deterred by the coconut milk.  It doesn't even taste like coconut, but it adds a creamy texture to the soup with out the fat of heavy whipping cream.

Here's a quick kitchen tip from my mother-in-law.  When peeling skin from vegetables and fruit, peel onto a plastic grocery bag and then toss the whole thing into the trash or dump into your compost bin.  Super easy clean up!

Enjoy!