Carrot Ginger Soup

When life gives you carrot, ... make carrot soup.

Preferably yummy soup that doesn't look like baby food. Fresh ginger, coconut milk and a bit of good vinegar should be on the list.

Since the local organic veggie box from my last blog came with a lot of carrots and I still had about 700g left in the fridge, I decided not to give them any chance to spoil and made a big pot of soup. And please notice the incredibly awesome R2D2 soy sauce dispenser the boyfriend got me for our 9-year anniversary. That man knows how to please the ladies! <3

Carrot Ginger Soup

Ingredients:

• 1kg of carrots
• 3 onions
• 2-2.5l of veggie stock
• 3-4 medium sized potatoes
• 1 leek (how do you call pieces of leek? The German word would be "Stange" which would literally translate to "stick" oder "bar") 
• 500ml coconut milk
• 100g tomato paste
• a big chunk of fresh ginger
• more ginger
• some olive oil
• salt
• agave sirup
• 5 table spoons of white wine vinegar

Generally it's important to know that these are approximate numbers. If you only have 2 onions, but instead have 5 potatoes? Fine. You can always adjust the texture and consistency of the soup by adding a bit more liquid or throwing in an extra something. It's neither magic nor rocket science. :)

Instructions:

• Peel carrots, potatoes, and ginger. 
• Clean leek and cut into thin rings.
• Cut up some ginger and cover it in boiling water, making fresh ginger tea. Drink some, but make sure you still have a few cups left for later.
• Chop the onions into small chunks. They will meet the blender eventually, so it's ok if they're not perfect.
• Add olive oil to a big pot, and roast the onions in there for a while. Add tomato paste. 
• While the onions are roasting, cut the carrots into chunks. 
• Add carrots to the onions + tomato paste.
• Let the whole thing roast along for a while, then add vinegar. Dear people of the world, if you buy vinegar, don't buy supercheap. Chances are that it tastes terrible. Take the time to find awesome vinegar!
• Add veggie stock and potatoes. Let the whole thing simmer until carrots and potatoes are cooked. 
• While the veggies are cooking, chop up some more fresh ginger and add it to the pot. 
• When everything is cooked, blend it until you get a nice and smooth texture without any chunks. 
• Add coconut milk. Add as much salt as you see fit. Add a table spoon or two of agave sirup. 
• If you feel like the consistency of the soup is still too "baby food" like, add some of your awesome fresh ginger tea. Add more salt etc if necessary. 
• Once everything is done, add the leek. 
• If you eat the soup rightaway, the leek is going to have a nice crunch. If that's not your thing, just leave it in the hot soup for a while until it gets softer. 

I like to serve my soup with some scallions ... and sambal oelek. Sambal oelek is just too good! A nicely toasted slice of wholewheat bread (with flaxseeds) never hurts! I always bake a big loaf of bread and once it has cooled down, slice half of it and freeze the slices. You can always toast it, especially if you don't have the time to make some sort of healthy carb side dish. 

Enjoy!