Carrot Coconut Soup

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a fabulous winter break. The kids head back to school today, which means I get to be productive again! Wheeeee! I feel a little bit like the parents in this back to school Staples ad. I loved getting to spend extra time with the boys…but boy am I ready to actually get things accomplished again. Exciting (ha!) stuff like going to the Post Office or getting an eye exam. Anything that requires me to stand in line (or generally stand still at all) does not happen when the boys are with me!

But now that I'm back let's get on to the food, shall we?

I've been holding out on you with this soup. I made it immediately after seeing it on Tracy's blog Shutterbean and it was a huge hit with the family-including the kids. It's been part of our regular dinner rotation ever since. It's creamy and filling but not rich, and I love the sweetness of the carrots paired with the spice.

So why did I wait so long to share it? Well…we never had leftovers. Not once. I never got my act together to take pictures of it before we ate, and after there was nothing left to photograph! It wasn't until I decided to double the recipe to use it for lunches that I could finally get a picture.

The original calls for a chile paste that I can't find here in the middle of nowhere, so I adjusted the recipe to work with sriracha. Since every member of our family prefers a different level of spice I made the base soup very mild. It has all the flavor from the sriracha but not so much of a kick that the boys will refuse to eat it. Then my husband and I drizzle our bowls with extra sriracha and get the spice that we prefer. If you have a houseful of spice lovers, you can just go ahead and add more sriracha right into the pan of soup.


Carrot Coconut Soup
Adapted from Shutterbean (originally appeared in Bon Appetit Magazine)

Ingredients:
2 tbsp coconut butter (or olive oil)
2 lbs carrots, peeled and sliced
salt
black pepper
2 cans coconut milk
1 large onion, diced
4 cups chicken broth
2 tsp sriracha (plus more for serving)
fresh cilantro, to garnish


Warm a saucepan over medium-high heat and add in coconut butter. Once it melts, add in the chopped onion and carrots. Sprinkle in the salt and pepper to your taste and sauté until the carrots and onions have softened. (About 20 minutes).
Next, add in the chicken broth, coconut milk and sriracha and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and then turn the heat down so it can simmer for about 40 minutes. At this point the carrots will be really soft and the soup will have very slightly reduced.
Blend the soup until smooth, using either an immersion blender (best kitchen invention EVER) or moving batches of the soup to a food processor or blender and adding back to the pot. Be very careful if you use the latter method!
Adjust the seasoning by adding more salt and pepper if desired, then serve in bowls garnished with cilantro and a drizzle of sriracha.

Cucumber Avocado Soup

Anyone else feel like they may have overindulged a bit these last few weeks of summer? We took full advantage of the last cook outs, pool days and day trips to the city...and all the desserts, iced coffee covered in whipped cream and barbecue that goes with it.

Now that school has started and I'm getting to make lunch for just myself again I'm going to mix things up from the usual sandwich. Enter this soup. The base is cucumber, and the avocado is blended in at the end to make a creamy, bright soup that can be eaten warm or cold. I've tried other cucumber avocado soups, but they were almost smoothies rather than soups. I like that there is a peppery undertone to this that makes it feel like it's "real" food, not something you'd eat on a cleanse. This would be great to pack in a lunch too, since it doesn't need to stay warm. In fact, I think it tastes better chilled. Perfect for those late summer heat waves!


Cucumber Avocado Soup

Adapted from Eating Well via PopSugar Fitness

1 tbs coconut oil
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large cucumbers, peeled and chopped (just under 4 cups worth)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 1//2 cups chicken or vegatable broth
1 avocado
1/4 cup parsley, roughly chopped
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt


Saute the onion until it's translucent, then add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Add in the cucumber, salt pepper, cayenne and broth and simmer for 7-10 minutes until the cucumber is soft.

Add in the avocado, and parsley and blend with an immersion blender. (Or transfer soup in batches to a regular blender)

Stir in yogurt and serve warm or cold. Garnish with cucumber slices and parsley.

Gazpacho

This week we have had a blissful interlude of 70-80 degree weather. It RAINED people! Rain! We have been under water restrictions since April...so this week has been downright amazing. The plants (and weeds) in my garden are growing and flowering! I spotted two bell peppers and 3 okra out there this afternoon.

Last week it was over 100 and next week it will be again, but right now Oklahoma is glorious.

In the midst of that 100+ weather last week I made a batch of gazpacho to keep for lunches. I was apprehensive the first time I made this a few years ago because cold soup just sounds a little weird until you try it. Once I finally tried it I was hooked and now every summer I make it anytime the temperatures soar. There really is nothing more refreshing than finally getting a chance to sit down on a hot day and eating something so fresh and flavorful. This is full of summer vegetables at their finest and  it doesn't need many other ingredients to enhance them. It tastes even better as it sits in the fridge over a few days and the flavors mature.

What's your go-to meal during the dog days of summer?


Gazpacho
adapted from The Barefoot Contessa and The Naptime Chef Cookbook

Ingredients:
4 tomatoes
1 cucumber, peeled
2-3 bell peppers
1/2 red onion
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
23 oz tomato juice
salt and pepper to taste (about 1 tsp each)
splash of lime juice

Put tomatoes, peppers, onion and cucumber into food processor one type at a time and finely chop. Combine them all in a large bowl and add garlic, olive oil, vinegar and tomato juice and stir together. Add salt and pepper to taste (I like about 1 teaspoon of each). Refrigerate until cold. Before serving, add a splash of lime juice. Stores in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.