The weather has been absolutely gorgeous here in Sydney and summer is just around the corner. However, even though it was warm on Tuesday, I was in the mood for a hot soup. Does that ever happen to you?
Perhaps it was because I was feeling a little bit run-down, but I just knew that some bright homemade soup would make me feel better. I had butternut squash and coconut milk on hand, so I could have easily made my Roasted Butternut Squash, Lime & Coconut Soup. But I have other plans for the squash (as you’ll soon see), so I thought a carrot soup would be a nice option. Again, I could have made my Carrot Soup, but now all those thoughts of creamy coconut-milk made me want something different. I came across Joy’s Carrot Apple Ginger Soup and figured it would be great with a bit of coconut milk substituted for half the vegetable broth.
Well, you know what? I was right! The soup has such a gorgeous color, and the flavor combination is just awesome. If you’ve ever enjoyed a fresh carrot-apple-ginger juice, then you know what I’m talking about. The coconut milk adds another level of flavor, not to mention so much creaminess. I can easily see myself making this again in the future and adding it to my list of all-time favorites…
In fact, what makes a recipe a “keeper” in this house isn’t just its taste, but also a simple ingredient list. Apples and carrots are fridge staples, and I always try to keep a couple cans of coconut milk in the cupboard. I also freeze my fresh ginger, so that means that I can easily pull this soup together anytime, without any “special” ingredients. Gotta love those types of recipes!
Carrot Apple Ginger Soup with Coconut Milk
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 60 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 small apple, peeled and sliced
- 5 cups sliced, peeled carrots (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 can coconut milk
- pinch of nutmeg
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and cook for one minute, until fragrant. Add sliced apples and diced carrots and cook for 3 minutes more.
- Increase heat to medium-high and add vegetable broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until carrots and apples are softened, about 30 minutes. Remove pan from the heat and let rest for 10 minutes, then stir-in the coconut milk.
- Use an immersion (stick) blender to fully blend the soup, or, if using a regular blender, blend the soup in batches. (Be sure not to fill the blender more than halfway full or hot soup will explode everywhere. Also, when blending hot liquids in a blender, leave the blender lid slightly ajar to let some of the steam escape.)
- Once all of the soup is blended, return to the pot (if you used a regular blender). You may decide that you want you soup a bit thinner in consistency. Add more vegetable broth if you’d like. Taste, and add a dash of fresh ground nutmeg, as well as salt and pepper to taste. The soup won’t need much pepper, as ginger is pretty spicy.
- Serve with a drizzle of quality olive oil, a sprinkling of fresh cracked pepper, coconut milk, vegan sour cream, cashew cream, fresh coriander (cilantro), carrot greens, etc…
- Soup will last, in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Soup also freezes well. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Notes
Adapted from Joy the Baker’s Carrot Apple Ginger Soup http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/2011/04/carrot-apple-ginger-soup
