Carrot Ginger Soup

I've been taking are of my mom recently as she has had two surgeries recently, and I asked her what she wanted to eat for dinner; her response was, "a platter of grilled cheese and tomato soup". I laughed and thought that it sounded amazing, but then laughed harder thinking about my dairy free boyfriend and two vegan friends who were coming over for dinner. I thought, hmmmm. Maybe not. So we switched gears, and decided to do a carrot ginger soup, a salad, and the cauliflower pasta in the entry before this.

This recipe was found on SimplyRecipes.com. Honestly, it was very good but not something that I ever crave or will crave. It tasted fresh and healthy but I need something that is a little more interesting in my soup. Regardless, it was easy as heck to make.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter (we used olive oil to keep it vegan)
1 1/2 pounds carrots (6-7 large carrots), peeled and sliced thin in coins
2 cups chopped yellow onion
Salt
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
2cups water
3 large strips of zest from an orange
Chopped chives, parsley, dill or fennel for garnish

Directions:

1. Sauté onions and carrot - melt the butter in a soup pot over medium heat and cook the onions and carrots, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften, about 5 to 8 minutes. Do not let the onions brown, otherwise this will change the flavor profile of the entire soup. Sprinkle a teaspoon of salt over the carrots and onions as they cook.

2. Add stock and water, ginger, and strips of orange zest. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until the carrots soften, about 20 minutes.

3. Remove the strips of orange zest - it's easy to forget this step and if you forget, the soup will be very bitter!

4. Purée soup with a stick blender, or working in small batches, pour the soup into a blender and purée until completely smooth. Only fill the blender bowl a third full with the hot liquid and keep one hand pressing down on the  cap  of the blender to keep it from spilling or popping off.

5. Add more salt to taste. Garnish with parsley, dill, chives or fennel and you're done!