Carrot Ginger Coconut Soup with Pepitas, Sliced Almonds, and Sesame Seeds
CARROT GINGER LIME COCONUT SOUP WITH TOASTED PEPITAS
I currently live in Chicago, and the winters here can be brutal. Soups, lots of red wine,and lots of soulcycle get me through the winter blues. Soups are fun because you can get souper creative with what you put in them (see what I did there? I won’t quit my day job.)
I went to Thailand with my boyfriend last November, and my favorite part of the trip was a cooking class we did in Chiang Mai, a city in northern Thailand. We started the morning at a huge farmers market buying the ingredients we would need for the day. Everything was so vibrant and colorful. We were then taken to a farm where we would did the cooking class. I would go back just for the smells of the fresh herbs and beautiful scenery. We harvested the rest of the ingredients from the farm when we arrived. Talk about farm to table! More than happy to share more details for anyone interested.
I wanted to bring this day to my kitchen for the memories, the aromas, and most importantly the deliciousness. Comfort food at it’s best.
Ingredients:
1 lb of carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large spanish onion, diced
½ cup of celery,chopped
1 tablespooon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of freshly ginger root
1 lime, zest and juice separated. If you can find lemongrass stalks in your local grocery store this would be a great addition/substitution!
2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil
3 cups of reduced- sodium broth (vegetable or homemade chicken broth) + water if you need to thin out the soup
1 can unsweetened light coconut cream or milk
½ cup toasted pepitas or pumpkin seeds
salt and pepper
Directions:
Heat a large heavy bottomed stock pot to medium-high and add oil. When the oil is shiny and hot, carefully add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to help sweat out the veggies. After about 7-8 minutes, the veggies will soften and carrots should start to golden, deepen in flavor. Add in freshly grated ginger root and lime zest and stir for another 2 minutes, or until they are fragrant.
Add in the broth and more salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes. Turn the heat off and let it cool slightly. Carefully add to a blender and blend until smooth or you have your desired consistency. If you have an immersion blender you can do this in the pot. Strain the soup through a sieve for a smooth velvety texture
Return the soup back to the pot and whisk in the coconut milk and lime juice. Bring back to a low boil then turn off, about 5 minutes. Enjoy!
Garnish with pumpkin or pepita seeds, and drizzled olive oil for more flavor. I used a salad topper nut bag I found at my local health food store.