Carrot Ginger Soup

I got this recipe from a blog, Elishia's Kitchen. I can't wait to try it! I chose it partly because of the sweet potatoes and oranges- both in the harvest box this week.

Serves 4-6

2 Tablespoons coconut oil (ghee or grape seed oil are fine too)

1 yellow onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander or 1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

4 large carrots, sliced

2 large sweet potatoes, sliced

2 oranges, zest and juice

7 cups water

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons ume plum vinegar, divided

garnish:

5 sprigs cilantro, thick stems dicarded and roughly chopped

toasted pumpkin seeds – recipe is below

1. Heat oil in heavy soup pot. Add onion and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until softening. Add the carrots and sweet potato and stir them all together. Cook over medium heat for a few minutes, until slightly browned on the bottom.
2. Add garlic, cumin, coriander, ginger and cayenne. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring, until the spices are very fragrant. Add a little water if it begins to stick.
3. Add one teaspoon of umeboshi vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and enough water to cover the vegetables by one inch.
4. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and cook until the carrots are very tender, about 25 minutes. Add the orange juice and zest.
5. Puree the soup, in batches, in a blender, until smooth. You may need to add extra water to achieve the desired consistency.
6. Return to pot and taste. Add the other teaspoon of umeboshi vinegar. You may want to add a bit more salt, umeboshi or cayenne at this point. Season to your taste. I like to sprinkle a tiny bit of cayenne on top. Serve hot with cilantro and toasted pumpkin seeds(optional).
7. Also freezes well, should you wish.

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

1 cup pumpkin seeds

2 Tablespoons lemon or lime juice

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne or chipotle chile powder

Preheat oven to 375

1. Toss all ingredients together in a bowl until seeds are coated. Taste them and adjust seasonings. The flavor will be more mild when they are cooked.
2. Transfer seeds to a baking sheet and shake to thin them out a bit.
3. Bake for 8 minutes.
4. They will begin to pop when they are nearly done. The ones around the edge will look brown, but not burned. You may need to stir them once if they aren’t cooking evenly. Remove from the pan immediately and let them cool and crisp up on a plate for 15 minutes before eating.
5. Once cool store in a covered airtight container for a week or more. I often double this recipe and add these yummy seeds to salads or grain dishes.

Picture from Elishia's Kitchen

**Good soup. Nice and thick. I made it all in the pressure cooker. I brought it to high pressure for 5 minutes and then did a quick release of the steam. I served the soup with some basic baking powder biscuits. Let me know if you need the recipe for the biscuits.