Lighten Your Holiday Menu
Had enough heavy holiday foods yet? Here's a recipe for an easy-to-make soup that will add plenty of vitamin C to your diet - and it tastes great, too.
The holiday seasons tend to be a time when we overindulge at the dinner table – too many treats, too many heavy meals and way too many pumpkin pies. Here’s a way to lighten things up a little – a comforting soup that will get plenty of vitamin C into your system.
This is a carrot & ginger soup that works well as part of a large meal or simple as a light bite.
Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter
2 medium onions (Vidalia if you got ‘em), peeled and diced
2 clovers garlic finely minced
6 cups chicken broth
2 pounds carrots, peeled and diced
Handful of shredded carrots
3 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 cup whole milk (totally optional!)
Salt & pepper to taste
Parsley for garnish
You’ll need your big stockpot and blender for this one.
In your stockpot, melt butter over medium heat, and then add onions with a dash of salt and pepper. Once onions just start to brown a bit, toss in the garlic and give things a good stir and let cook for another minute. Add the chicken broth, carrots and ginger. Give the mixture a few stirs and cover. Let it get to a boil, wait a moment, give it a stir or two. Reduce the heat and simmer until the carrots are fork-tender.
This is where it can get a little tricky. Take the pot of the heat and let it cool for about five minutes. Don’t wash the pot yet; it still has work to do.
Once the mixture has cooled for five minutes, fill your blender carafe about halfway. Do NOT seal the top. Instead, leave a corner up and cover the top with a towel. If you seal the top, you’re likely to create a vacuum that will lead to a nasty eruption. Once you have things safely in place, blend the mixture until it is nice and smooth. Place the blended soup back in the pot and repeat the process until you’ve blended it all.
Heat the soup over medium high heat and add salt and pepper to taste. OPTIONAL: Add the milk, stir well until mixed and cook for another minute or two. Yes, some folks use cream instead of milk, but we're trying to keep things light here!
To garnish, add a few bits of shredded carrot and chopped parsley over the top.
This soup holds up really well in the fridge!
