Carrot Ginger Soup

I'm happy to report that even the mere action of having a food blog has forced me to be slightly more creative in my cooking adventures.  I could post the same old photo of tofu, rice, and vegetables, everyday, but what fun would that be?  Today, I thought I might bake something, but realized how silly that would be given that everything I bake, I promptly put in the freezer.  I don't eat much of my baked goods myself, but rather get them out when I have company, or take them on some future hike.  But what good is a freezer full of muffins?  No good at all, I'm afraid.

Here is a lovely carrot ginger soup, my first attempt.  This comes by way of Hay Day Country Market Cookbook, by Kim Rizk, a cookbook I got from a friend of mine when she was giving some away.  I am sorry to say I haven't tried a lot of recipes in this book, and I really should, because they all look fantastic.  Given my vegetarian leanings, I think many of the recipes could be altered and similarly replicated without meat.

Carrot Ginger Soup

1 1/2 T. Earth Balance or butter

1 1/2 T. olive oil

A knob of ginger about the size of a small lime, peeled and finely chopped

2 lbs. carrots, peeled and chopped

5 c. vegetable stock

1 c. dry white wine

1/2 t. Kosher salt 

Ground black pepper

First, prepare the carrots by scrubbing and chopping.  Once this recipe gets rolling, you better be prepared.  Set aside.

Heat a dutch oven to medium heat, and add the butter and olive oil.  Add the ginger and saute 2-3 minutes.

Add the carrots, the white wine, and the vegetable stock.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Let cool, and then blend.  I used a hand blender.  You could use a blender but in that case you really must wait until it's cool, or you will have a mess on your hands.

Because my vegetable stock was already salted, I didn't really need to add more salt.  Also, the original recipe states that if your carrots are not the freshest, then you may consider adding some sugar/honey/agave, perhaps a tablespoon's worth, to sweeten the soup a bit.