Spring has brought sunshine to Auckland this week, but also some chilly evening temperatures. Warming up with a hearty bowl of simple soup is such a pleasure. I wanted to make my usual coconut parsnip soup but alas, no parsnips in the house, so I swapped them out for another sweet root vegetable – the mighty carrot. Turned out to be an easy & lovely adaptation. A handful of warming spices, a generous swirl of creamy coconut milk, the extra protein hit of a few soft lentils…winning.The toast in the photo above is my soft grain-free loaf, find the recipe here
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 or 4 medium/large carrots, roughly chopped (see how purple carrots look in photo below!)
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp turmeric
¼ cup red lentils
4 cups/1 litre vege stock *, warmed up
165ml tin of coconut cream or milk
salt and pepper to taste
* either homemade, store bought, or use 2 tsps of gluten-free vege stock powder dissolved in 4 cups hot water
Heat the oil in a large saucepan on a medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic, and gently sauté, stirring often. Once the onions start to soften, add the spices and lentils, and stir well.
Add the carrots and stock, lower the heat and put the lid on. Simmer for 25 minutes, or until the lentils & carrots are soft, and everything is kissed beautifully yellow by the spices.
Puree the soup directly in the pot with a stick/immersion blender, or allow it to cool a little and transfer to a food processor to blitz until smooth.
Swirl through the coconut cream, season to taste (I used about ½ tsp salt and a good grind of pepper). Add an extra swirl of coconut cream to each bowl if you’re feeling fancy.
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