Our family loves soup. Ok, I take that back… the kids and I love soup!
I love it because it’s a great way to get my children to eat lots of vegetables, and I use up items in the fridge. My children love it because I serve it with homemade (gluten-free, vegan) bread, which is a treat in our home.
My husband is thankful that I take the time to make dinner and feed him, so he eats it, and isn’t miserable ;).
The other reason that I love soup is because it’s in our weekly meal routine. Do you have a meal routine? Ya know, where you have similar foods on the same day each week? It’s a great, great way to simplify life. We have soup and bread on Wednesdays.
The best thing about soups is that I don’t have to exert much brain-power to make it happen. I just make sure I always have some homemade broth (or premade broth) on-hand, because well, you can whip up soup out of pretty much anything.
In this case, this soup was born out of the gigantic bag of baby carrots that Costco sells. If you are not familiar, it’s 5 lovely pounds of organic baby carrots. And, we love our baby carrots as much as the next family, but still. 5 pounds? Before they go bad? We can only finish off a bag if I make some soup, or a roast and carrots, or something carrot-tacular.
This soup is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, soy-free, shellfish-free… basically free of all the major allergens. It is also vegetarian, is made from whole foods, and is yummy. I included a coconut curry carrot soup option down below, too.
*Note: if allergens are an issue, double-check your ingredients, especially your broth, to make sure that you’re safe. We manage anaphylactic and delayed food allergies, so I feel your pain.
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp of oil (or butter, or ghee) of choice
1 large onion, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups peeled and chopped carrots
4 cups broth (either homemade, or premade)
1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
Heat oil in a large stock pot on medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, and saute, stirring often, until the onions are cooked through and carmelized (brown, and sweet) until your heart’s content. Add the carrots, broth, and salt, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 20 minutes, or more, until carrots are tender. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
If you like curry, you can add one Tbsp of curry spice to the pot with the carrots. Then, stir in one can of full fat coconut milk after the soup is blended, and heat just until warm for a carrot coconut curry soup. Yummers.
What is your favorite “routine” meal? How do you increase vegetable intake in your home? Share with us below…
Wishing you all the simple things,
Zara
