Creamy Carrot & Ginger Soup {Dairy Free}

For my 26th birthday, my husband surprised me with a trip out to Niagara On The Lake for a day of fine food and wine. {I guess he really does listen when I talk about places I want to go... } We went with a tour that visited several vineyards in the area {I still cannot believe how many there are…}, and had a wonderful fancy lunch at the Niagara Culinary Institute’s restaurant. I learned two valuable things about myself on this day trip. 1) I don’t really like “oaked” wines. They have too much of an “oak” taste for my liking. Very bold flavour that just doesn’t appeal to my palate. I DO however LOVE ice wine. {Of course, the more expensive type of wine… Jeez.} and 2) I love carrot and ginger soup.

Really, I love all types of soup. My favourite thing to make every winter is a spicy cabbage soup. But this whole “puree” soup thing is somewhat new to me. My first hot puree soup was a dill potato & carrot soup. I’ve even made a sweet “dessert” soup with strawberries. I was really happy with how that turned out, so after trying the carrot and ginger soup at the restaurant, I decided to make a healthier version at home! I was completely surprised to see…er, taste that this soup was SO much better than what I had at the restaurant! The best part is that mine is creamy WITHOUT the addition of fattening cream, which also makes this able to be enjoyed by vegetarians/vegans, people with an intolerance to dairy, and those of us not wanting to put unnecessary fat into our bodies. {Although, a little fat is always okay… } So here’s my recipe for a creamy carrot and ginger soup, with a bit of a kick to it! Enjoy!

This soup makes anywhere from 2-4 servings, depending on the serving size.

Creamy Carrot & Ginger Soup {Dairy Free}

Ingredients:

2 medium carrots {peel and chop them!}
1 medium white potato {any potato works well, this is just what I used. As with the carrots, peel and chop!}
2-3 small sweet peppers {I used orange to keep the colour of the soup}
1/2 cup kidney beans {if using canned, be sure to rinse them well!}
About 3 cups vegetable broth {this amount depends on how thin or thick you want your soup. I started off with about 2 cups, and through out cooking and blending, I added about 1 more cup.}
1 shallot {peel and dice!}
2 cloves garlic {crushed and finely diced!}

About 1 inch of fresh ginger root {peel it, and finely dice!}
Pinch fleur de sel. {Any sea salt}
Pinch ground nutmeg
Red pepper flakes {to taste. I usually like it HOT, but decided to only add about 1/4 tsp so that the spotlight wasn’t stolen from the carrot and ginger.}

Method:

Bring 2 cups of vegetable broth to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high, and add the potatoes and carrots.
Allow to lightly boil for about 5 minutes.
Add the sweet peppers, shallot, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes. Stir, then put a lid on the pot. Allow to lightly boil for about 10 minutes, stirring half way through. At the 5 minute stir, if you notice that the vegetables are no longer covered with broth, add about 1/2 cup more. Return to a boil, then cover.
Allow to lightly boil for another 10 minutes, again stirring half way through.
Note: the total cooking time after adding the potatoes and carrots will be about 20 minutes, or until a tested potato piece is tender when poked with a fork. This took 20 minutes for me, but depending on the potato you use it could take less or more time.
Remove from heat, and add contents of pot to a blender. If there is not enough broth, add the remaining 1/2 cup. Add the pinch of fleur de sel and nutmeg. Blend until smooth.
Add the kidney beans to the blender, and blend at a higher speed until smooth.
Serve directly out of the blender as it will probably still be hot. If it’s not, just return it to the pot, and heat the soup over low heat until it’s at the perfect temperature.
Pour into bowls, and enjoy!



Filed under: appetizers, dinners, Recipes, Weekly New Recipe Project Tagged: appetizer, basil, carrot, culinary, dinner, garlic, ginger, healthy, Niagara On The Lake, puree, recipe, soup, spice, spicy, vegetables, vegetarian