Carrot Ginger Soup

For many people, the first few weeks of the New Year are dedicated to long hours at the gym and substituting holiday cookies, which over the past few weeks have become a staple in many diets (Yum!), with fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Unfortunately, most resolutions burn out by February 1st. What is the reason? In my opinion, it's because some people believe food has to be bland and boring in order to be healthy. This soup, however, has just as much flavor as a more decadent cream-based soup, but it is made entirely from vegetables. The thick, rich texture packs a subtle heat from the ginger and fills you up without weighing you down. What could be better than that? 

Note: You will be pureeing the soup, so the smaller you chop the potato, onion, and carrots, the easier it will be on your blender. Also, the shorter the cook time.  

Heat the olive oil in a stock-pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and 1/2 tsp. salt. (The salt will encourage the onions to release their natural sugars, speeding up the caramelization.) Stir and cook for 10 minutes until the onions soften and begin to caramelize. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 more minutes. Be careful to keep an eye on the garlic and ginger during this step. These tiny additions will burn quickly! Add the carrots and potato and stir.

Pour in the chicken or vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer and cover, continuing to simmer for 15-20 minutes until the carrots are tender.

Remove the soup from heat and puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Alternately, ladle small amounts of soup into a blender and puree. If the soup is too thick add a little more stock and puree. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately with a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream and cheddar chive biscuits!

Carrot Ginger Soup

recipe adapted from Guy Fieri's Ginger-Carrot Soup

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp minced ginger
2 lbs chopped carrots
1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
6 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
kosher salt
ground pepper

Directions:

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a heavy bottomed stock pot. Add onion and 1/2 tsp salt and cook until onions just start to caramelize, 10 minutes.

Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Stir in carrots, potato, and stock. Simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes until the carrots are fork tender. Remove from heat.

Using an immersion blender, or a conventional blender working in batches, puree the soup to desired consistency, thinning with more stock if desired. Add salt and pepper to taste.