Carrot, Ginger & Sweet Potato Soup

With the weather cooling off, and it being a little rainy outside, it was a good evening to have soup for dinner - and this soup turned out great! This was really easy, and is also a very healthy low-fat and low-calorie soup. A lot of carrot soups call for cream, but this recipe was incredibly flavorful without the added fat (and dairy) of a creamy soup. And it had a pretty creamy consistency after being blended.

To save some time, the carrots, sweet potato and onion could be chopped up ahead of time so that they are ready to be tossed in the pot with the rest of the ingredients. I simmered the soup in the morning, and then at dinner time, I tossed it in my Vitamix to puree it and heat it up, then kept it warm in a pot on the stove.  I find that breaking up my dinner preparation into stages like this saves me a lot of stress at dinner time!

Carrot, Ginger & Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients

1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup organic carrots, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup sweet potato, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp ginger root, peeled and minced
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cups vegetable stock
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in stock pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes.

2. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.

3. Add carrots, sweet potato, broth and orange juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, until vegetable are soft. 

4. Puree soup in blender, or in pot with an immersion blender. Thin with additional stock as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

(Recipe adapted from doortodoororganics.com)

What are the nutritional benefits of this soup? Sweet potatoes are very high in vitamin A (one cup provides over 400% of the daily value!) and are a great source of vitamins C and B6, and the mineral manganese. Carrots are also very high in vitamin A (with one cup providing over 400% of the daily value, just like sweet potatoes), and they are also an excellent source of vitamin C and fiber. Garlic contains flavonoids (a type of antioxidant), and is a great source of vitamins C and B6, and the mineral manganese. Onions are rich in quercetin (a type of antioxidant) and vitamin C.