Carrot and Coconut Soup

The Midwest will just not let its grip off this cold weather, and while I enjoy soup 365 days a year, I also want something light and spring-like this time of year.

Roasting carrots brings out a whole other level of flavor to this soup, so I suggest not skipping that part. While you could boil the carrots until tender, I promise roasting them will kick this soup up to the highest notch.

Then the blender does all the work! I have a Vitamix, so I pureed my soup for five full minutes to get this silky texture. If you have a stick blender, it may not get this silky.

Carrot and Coconut Soup

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Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

2 pounds carrots, trimmed and not peeled

1 Tablespoon grapeseed oil

3 cups vegetable broth

1 cup lite coconut milk

1/2 cup cilantro (with stems)

1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the trimmed carrots with the grapeseed oil and cook for 30 minutes, or until fork tender.

2. In a blender, add the vegetable broth, coconut milk, carrots, cilantro and Sambal Oelek.*

3. Puree for 5 minutes for silky smooth soup.

4. Garnish with chopped cilantro and a drizzle of sesame oil.

*Sambal Oelek is an Indonesian chili paste – the amount I used in this soup made this soup flavorful, but if you don’t like spice, either use half or eliminate all together. However, I do love the spicy kick to offset the sweetness of the carrots and coconut milk.

If you are interested in learning about how to balance flavors in your food, Flavor Dynamics is the place to start! Don't miss our class on Saturday, April 15 at 12pm to learn the secrets of successful flavor combinations. The Chopping Block will teach you the art of tweaking the five basic tastes - Salty, Sweet, Bitter, Sour and Umami - and how to use herbs, spices, oils, vinegars, and aromatic ingredients to create a rich tapestry of cuisine limited only by your imagination. This is an amazing skill to have to strengthen your home cooking skills!