Orange Veggies and Ginger Soup - Recipe Revisited

This is round two for carrot and ginger soup. The first time I followed the recipe exactly and the soup was overwhelmed by the earthy, bitter flavor of the carrots.  I had to add more ginger and onions to cover up the flavor.  This time round I switched out the carrots for a combination of sweet potatoes, winter squash with just a few carrots.  The results are amazingly better, the texture is smooth and velvety and the sweetness of the winter squash is carried by the savory broth and coconut milk.  That one little change and I have a whole different soup, but it is still very healthy, vegetarian, and gluten free.

I used a whole Kombucha squash (1.5 pounds), 3 sweet potatoes and 4 medium carrots in place of the 3 pounds of carrots.  Here are all the orange veggies simmering in 5 cups of chicken stock after I mixed in the can of unsweetened coconut milk and the sautéed onion, ginger and garlic.  The kitchen smelled amazing like sweet potato pie and chicken pot pie.

After about a half hour when the veggies were falling apart, I used my new immersion blender to puree everything together. It was so nice not to have to puree in batches in the food processer. It literally took 30 seconds to blend and 30 seconds to clean. I almost wish it had taken longer so I could have kept playing with my new toy. (Thanks Mary!)

I also decided not to mix the cilantro, lime, hot pepper mixture into the soup at the end. Instead I served it as a dollop on top of the soup and we mixed it into the soup right before eating. This allowed the two flavors to stand on their own. The soup is delicious and savory without the cilantro mixture, but the cilantro and lime adds a touch of sour and give more depth.  I had a hard time not "sampling" the entire bowl full when I was taking pictures. 

I think I'm done tweaking this recipe. It's a keeper. This is a healthy (low fat, high fiber, low calorie) soup that takes less than 45 minutes to put together.  It's good enough for company, but easy enough to make for a week night dinner.  Now if I can just find about 30 more recipes like this one.

Orange Veggie and Ginger Soup with Cilantro Lime Sour Cream

3 medium sweet potatoes
4 medium carrots
1 medium winter squash, butternut or kombucha
5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 can unsweetened coconut milk (14 oz)
1 onion, chopped
10 cloves garlic, pealed
4 oz fresh gingers, pealed
2 bay leaves
2 limes
2 cups fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Step 1: Start by cleaning and pealing your carrots, sweet potatos and squash and chopping them into sections less than four inches long. They just need to fit in the pot, don't worry about how big they are, you will puree them after they are cooked.

Step 2:  In a large pot over medium heat add the carrots, squash,  sweet potatoes, broth, coconut milk and bay leaves. Cover and allow it to come to a boil. Mean while, sauté the onion with a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. In a food processor or blender puree the garlic and ginger together with a tablespoon of water. When the onions are translucent add the pureed garlic and ginger to the onions. Sauté for an additional minute then add the onion mixture to the pot of carrots. When the soup pot starts to boil reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer covered for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally.

Step 3:  While the soup is simmering make the Lime Cilantro Sour Cream.  To a small sauce pan add the cilantro, and pepper flakes. Squeeze the juice from the two limes on top. Then sauté the cilantro mixture for a couple minutes until the cilantro wilts. Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit.  Then to the food processor add the cilantro mixture plus the sour cream.  Puree into a smooth sauce.  Pour into a small serving bowl and refrigerate until you are ready to serve the soup.

Step 4:  When the veggies are soft you are ready to puree the soup. First remove the bay leaves. Then use an immersion blender to puree the mixture. If you don't have an immersion blender, puree the soup in batches through a blender or food processer.

Step 5:  To serve the soup pour into bowls and top with a dollop of the sour cream mixture.