I’ve never made carrot soup before. Does that make this weird? You know, me giving you a recipe to my first ever batch of carrot soup? Hopefully not.

I really wasn’t sure what to expect. I’m sure I’ve eaten carrot soup at one point or another in my life, but I really prefer raw carrots to cooked.

That is why I decided to also add an apple and a cupful of sweet potato. I didn’t want the carrot flavor to overpower and thought the sweet potato would help make things super silky and smooth and the apple would lend a mellow sweetness.

There are so many ways you can add flavor to carrot soup. Curry is pretty common, as is ginger. I wasn’t in the mood for curry, but what about using fresh turmeric alongside the ginger? I was looking to make a soul warming soup and turmeric fits right into that description.

Besides never making carrot soup before, I’ve also never cooked with fresh turmeric.

I’m letting all my secrets out today!

Fresh turmeric is pricey, I’m not going to lie, but you won’t need more than a 1-2 inch piece which shouldn’t cost more than $1-2. If you can’t find it dried will also work. And if you have any leftover just grated it and throw some into your smoothie. The health benefits of turmeric are aplenty.

Oh, and be careful. Turmeric stains fabric + wooden spoons instantly.

But the soup needed something beyond ginger and turmeric. Something to make it “pop!”

The one photo I forgot to take was of the toasted cumin seeds. They infuse this soup with an unbelievable amount of flavor, while not overwhelming in the slightest. I prefer their toasted flavor so much more than ground cumin. I can’t quite put into words the difference, so you’ll just have to try it out for yourself. Definitely do not leave them out!

I want to dive in to that bowl of golden goodness. Next time it’s a double batch. For sure.

Print Recipe!

Carrot Soup gluten-free, vegan // yields 4 servings (easily doubles)

3 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 cup minced shallot
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon peeled + grated ginger
2 teaspoons peeled + grated turmeric (or 2/3 teaspoon dried turmeric)
1 1/4 lbs carrots, chopped (about 5 large)
1 heaping cup chopped sweet potato
1 heaping cup chopped apple
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 1/2 teaspoon pure maple syrup
1/2 – 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
roasted pepitas + full fat coconut milk (to top, optional)

Heat oil in a small pan over medium-med/high heat. While heating, place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl to catch the seeds and reserve the oil after toasting. Once hot, add the cumin seeds and stir constantly for about 1-2 minutes until toasted. Watch closely. Pour contents through the strainer.

Place reserved oil in a large pot and place it over medium-low heat. Once hot, add the shallot and garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes until starting to soften and lightly brown. Stir in the grated ginger and turmeric for an additional minute. Stir in the carrots, sweet potato, and apple for 1-2 minutes. Pour in the broth and add the toasted cumin seeds, maple syrup, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat to simmer until carrots and potatoes are tender, about 18-25 minutes (depending on how small you chopped the veggies).

In batches, blend the soup with your blender to a full puree. Be careful when blending, starting on the lowest setting and working to high until fully smooth. The contents will be HOT! Place back in the pot over medium heat, taste, and add more salt/pepper as desired. If you’d like it thinner add a few splashes of veggie broth.

Serve while hot. Top with roasted pepitas (or sliced almonds) and drizzle with full fat coconut milk if desired.

Let cool before storing in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Notes:

Turmeric stains extremely easily, especially fabric and wood.
I left the skin on the apple and sweet potato but if you don’t have a high-powered blender you may want to peel the skin.
I used no-sodium veg broth and added about 1 1/4 teaspoons salt.
Cumin seeds are typically toasted in a dry pan but I wanted to infuse the coconut oil with cumin flavor.
I do not recommend subbing ground cumin for the toasted cumin seeds as the flavor is noticeably different.
I haven’t tried freezing this, but I imagine it would freeze well in a freezer bag with the air squeezed out for 3-4 months.

Happy Friday, folks!

Ashley

I’m on a salad kick. When this happens I embrace it.

Enter my new favorite vegan caesar salad. This is a recipe I’ve been tweaking for a few years now. I’ve shared a couple different versions on the blog before, but I think this one is the very best.

It all starts with the creamy rich dressing and then of course the crunchy toppings. The thing I’m always trying to experiment with for this typically non-vegan dressing is how to replace the anchovies. They add a distinct flavor to caesar dressing and one that is hard to replicate with a vegan substitution.

I’ve used kelp granules before to add a bit of a salty fish flavor and it worked pretty well. Kelp can be a more difficult ingredient to find, so last year I got to playing with this recipe again and a light bulb went off.

What about nori!? You know, sushi wrappers! And instead of a fully cashew based dressing, I added chickpeas to the dressing to lighten it up a bit. The result was fantastic.

For this latest version I made a few final tweaks and I think am finally settled on my favorite vegan caesar dressing.