Carrot Ginger Soup, Stovetop Optional

Lately, I was craving Carrot Ginger soup, but wanted an easier, faster and non-coconut milk approach than the recipe I shared with you last year.  And I liked the idea of not turning on the stove at all in light of how hot it is.  I used my beloved rice cooker to steam the vegetables, but you could of course steam them in a steamer basket on the stove, or use any other appliance that would allow you to steam the vegetables.  I steamed the vegetables in the rice cooker, blended the soup and then did not reheat it, so the soup came together without turning on the stove; however, depending on your preferences, you may need to turn on the stove.

Carrot Ginger Soup
Makes 4 main-dish servings

• 1 pound carrots, peeled, cut into large chunks
• 1 large sweet potato (or two smaller ones), peeled and cut into large chunks (about 1 pound)
• 1 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled
• 1 small onion, peeled and cut in fourths
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 2 jalapenos, cut in half, seeds and stem removed
• 2 cups almond milk
• 1 cup water or vegetable broth
• Spice options – use one of the following, depending on what you have in your spice cabinet: 1 teaspoon medium curry powder *or* 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon coriander *or* homemade Thai red curry paste (recipe here, substitute miso for shrimp paste to veganize) *or* prepared Thai red curry paste (Thai Kitchen is gluten-free and vegan) *or* your choice of curry paste or powder.  See note below
•  Freshly squeezed lime juice (about a tablespoon per bowl)
• Toppings options – diced scallions, diced avocado, splash coconut milk, chopped cilantro.

Steam the carrots, sweet potato, ginger, onion, garlic and jalapeno until tender – about 15-20 minutes depending on the type of steaming appliance or approach you use.  In blender, blend almond milk and spice paste or spices.  Allow steamed vegetables to cool enough to handle, and then add to blender. Puree vegetables with almond milk and spice pastes (or spices) until desired texture, adding up to a cup of water or broth to ease things along.  At this point, the soup should still be quite warm, but if you wish, reheat soup on stove.  Finish each bowl with lime juice and desired toppings

Note: The key to spicing this soup is using lemony spices that complement the ginger well.

Finally, it seems that No Croutons Required has also focused on the carrot this month, so I am submitting this recipe to this blog event, hosted this month by Jacqueline of Tinned Tomatoes.   No Croutons Required  always has a lovely round-up of salads and soups around a specific theme. And, if you have not yet seen it, check out my Facebook page.

Update June 26, 2011 – I am submitting this recipe to Real Sustenance’s Seasonal Sunday. My seasonal ingredients are garlic and lime.