Curried Carrot Parsnip
Sunday Soup Series
Years ago I was the chef at a little heathy cafe that was located inside a health & wellness center. Part of the agreement was that I had to run all my recipes through the in-house dietitians and nutritionists. Although I felt a little stifled as a chef by this process, I did learn a lot about what I was putting in the food.
To this day I can look at a plate and tell you approximately how many calories, grams of fat, sugar and salt it contains. I definitely grew as a chef during my time there and my health is better because of the experience. This soup is a recipe I developed during my time there. It’s vegan and dairy free and contains only healthy fats and natural sugars, although I have modified it since my time there by adding coconut cream and a pinch of brown sugar. If you want to reduce the fat & sugar even more, substitute fat free Greek yogurt for the coconut cream. This is also one of those soups that I encourage you to go crazy on the garnishes.
Curried Carrot Parsnip
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1.5 # carrots, rough chopped
1 # parsnips, rough chopped
10 each whole garlic cloves
1 each acorn squash, halved & seeded
1/3 cup curry powder
1/4 cup fresh ginger, chopped
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes in juice
8 cups vegetable broth
1 can coconut cream (15 oz)
Kosher salt & white pepper to taste
Brown sugar & cayenne to taste
Preheat the oven to 350. Toss the carrots, onions, parsnips & garlic with the olive oil and a pinch of salt, place on a baking tray with the acorn squash and bake until squash is tender (approx. 20 min) Peel the squash, discarding the skin and place all the roasted vegetables (besides the squash) and the ginger in your favorite soup pot. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes or until they begin to caramelize to the bottom of the pan. Add the curry powder and continue cooking for 2 more minutes while stirring. Add the vegetable stock, tomatoes & cooked squash. Bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Whisk in the coconut cream. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne and a touch of brown sugar if needed. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. I’ve garnished with toasted pepitas (green pumpkin seeds) pomegranate seeds, fresh cilantro leaves and a touch of lime crema. This could be served with some warm naan bread or go crazy and serve it up with a grilled cheese sandwich. Enjoy!!