Saturday, January 25, 2014

Carrot Soup with Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Well, its still freezing! I can't stop drinking hot tea and eating warm soup. It just warms me to my core and makes me forget that the temperature is close to 15F outside! We even got a little sprinkle of snow the other day in NC. And yes, just enough to shut down schools, delay the work day and empty the grocery store shelves (Northerners laugh here). 



As long as the weather continues like this, I will keep sharing soup recipes. This one is from my Fall Cleanse days, remember that?!?! I was able to survive the brutal five days because of this dish though. The soup was from a recommended recipe from the Cleanse list, but I added the Brussels Sprout part for color and texture. I also added some brown rice for a little bit of carbohydrates when I had this during the Cleanse, but it isn't mandatory.

I enjoyed the planning part of the Cleanse - making a grocery list, studying recipes and scheduling my days around cooking and preparing as to distract me from my hunger and cravings. I started with a base of recipes and then put my usual spin on things. Since I was doing the Cleanse, I couldn't add any meat or dairy, which I think would be a great addition to this dish. Stir in a little bit of heavy cream at the end or simmer a Parmesan rind in the broth while the carrots cook. Chicken stock could easily be substituted for the vegetable broth as well. Lots of versatility here!




Carrot Soup with Roasted Brussels Sprouts


Soup recipe based on Not Quite Nigella
Yields: 6 servings
Prep Time:
Cook Time:


1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon ghee (or butter)
1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
2 pounds carrots, peeled and roughly choppped
1 teaspoon cumin powder
4 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper
1 pound Brussels Sprouts, trimmed and halved
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
Fresh parsley, chopped
Creme fraiche or heavy cream (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400F.

In a large thick-bottomed soup pot, saute onions and ginger in the butter over medium heat until translucent. Stir in the carrots and cook for about 5 minutes. Add in the stock and cumin powder and simmer for about 45 minutes until the carrots are soft.

While the soup is cooking, line a large baking sheet with parchment. Mix the Brussels sprouts with the oil and some salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes in the oven, mixing around once half way through. The goal is to have slightly browned and charred sprouts!

Once the carrots are soft, puree the soup by either using an immersion blender (one of my favorite kitchen gadgets) or in a blender (in two batches).

To serve, fill a bowl with the carrot soup and top with roasted Brussels sprouts, pepper and parsley. A dollop of creme fraiche or drizzle of heavy cream would be a nice finishing touch as well. Crusty bread or brown rice is a great addition to this dish!


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