Roasted Carrot Coconut Soup

Looking for a delicious way to eat your vegetables? Even if you're not a carrot fan, trust me, you'll enjoy this luscious, healthy, simple to make carrot coconut soup recipe! Roasting the carrots creates a complex rich flavor, and the addition of coconut milk adds a sweet creaminess. Play with the seasonings to make this carrot soup staple your own!

Prep Time: 20 minutes Yield: 6 cups

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pounds carrots (peeled and tops removed)

• 4 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil - divided in two

• 1 large yellow onion, medium dice

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 teaspoon salt (check for salt at end of recipe, you may prefer adding more)

• 1 teaspoon white pepper

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1/2 teaspoon coriander

• 1 teaspoon white or brown sugar

• A few grains (or more) of cayenne pepper (Even if you don't like heat, adding just a few grains adds a very nice complexity. I added 1/8 a teaspoon which gives the soup a slight bit of heat)

• 32 ounces (4 cups) vegetable or chicken stock

• 1 cup water

• 1 cup humanly sourced coconut milk *see note below

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place parchment paper on a large rimmed baking sheet.

2. Peel and cut the tops off the carrots. Cut them into 4 inch long pieces, with a diameter of 1 inch if possible. If the diameter of the carrot is very large, cut It in 4 inch pieces, and then carefully cut that piece in half lengthwise. You're attempting to make the carrot pieces as similar in size as possible for even cooking, however you may have some carrot pieces that are uneven in size, that is absolutely fine.

3. In a single layer, place the carrot pieces on the baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil, tossing to coat the carrots.

4. Bake the carrots at 425 degrees until the edges are caramelized and the larger pieces are fork tender, approximately 35-40 minutes Toss the carrots mid-way between baking to ensure even cooking.

Begin the soup when the carrots are close to being done:

5. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to a large heavy bottomed pan over medium heat.

6. As the oil begins to shimmer, add the diced yellow onion to the pan. Cook the onion until it is almost translucent, approximately 5 minutes.

7. Lower heat and stir in minced garlic. Cook an additional 1-2 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic.

8. To the onion mixture, stir in the salt, garlic, white pepper, cumin, coriander, cayenne, and sugar. Let the mixture cook for 2-3 minutes.

9. Add in the vegetable or chicken broth and the water. Add in the roasted carrots. Raise heat slightly if necessary, and simmer over medium heat for 10-15 minutes.

10. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut milk.

11. Carefully transfer and puree the soup with a heat resistant blender or use a heat resistant hand immersion blender. Adjust for salt, if needed.

    Chef Paula's Tip: Soup pureed in a blender will have a silkier, velvet texture since it is aerated and finely pureed, while the hand blender produces a pureed soup that is granier in texture. I like both versions of the soup.

Pour soup into bowls, and garnish as desired; herbs, fried onions or shallots, proteins like seafood, nuts, croutons, sour cream or Greek yogurt, ... Enjoy!

Can you use pre-cut bagged carrots in this recipe? Absolutely, just lower your cooking time. Also, I would prefer processing those carrots in a blender so as to create the smoothest texture.

• A note regarding canned coconut milk. Please look at the back of your can of coconut milk before purchasing. If it was harvested in Tawain, DO NOT BUY! In Taiwan, monkeys are used to retrieve the coconuts from the trees. These monkeys are mistreated and abused. Until the United States finally boycotts these products, please don't support them. And educate others about this animal abuse. xxxooo