Category: Indian

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Carrot, Turmeric & Ginger Soup

This is a delightfully delicious soup that warms you from the inside out. It has so many great health properties,  from the beta carotene in the carrots, to the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric, and the digestive aid of ginger. These are all wonderful ingredients to incorporate into your diet, and stay healthy during the winter months. You’ll even get a bit of vitamin C from the lime at the end.

But let’s be real, the most important part is that this soup is a huge crowd pleaser for eaters of all ages! 🙂 It’s sweet, creamy, flavorful and can easily be made vegan if you choose the coconut milk option. Enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments!

Yields: 16 cups

Serves: 10-12

Ingredients:

1 small yellow onion

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 inch fresh turmeric root

2 inches fresh ginger root

8 carrots

4 cups vegetable broth (low-sodium)

2 teaspoons salt

⅓ cup cream or coconut milk

½ medium lemon or lime

Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Optional Toppings:

Roasted Squash seeds

Cilantro 

Aleppo pepper

Plain Greek yogurt

 

Directions:

Roast Carrots:

Heat oven to 400°F. Place whole carrots on baking sheet. Coat lightly with olive oil and salt. Roast in oven for 25-30 minutes, or until soft and cooked through. Once cooled, cut off the ends and cut carrots into 2 inch pieces. 

 

Soup

Heat a large saucepan to medium heat. Dice the onion. Add oil to heat up before adding onion. Stir occasionally until transparent. Mince the garlic and add to onion. Saute for 1 minute. Peel the ginger and turmeric root with a spoon. Mince or grate them and set aside. Slice the lime in half. Juice the lime and set aside. 

Add the turmeric and ginger to pan with onion and garlic. Allow to cook for 1 minute. Add the chopped, roasted carrots, broth and salt. Raise the heat to bring to a slow boil. Then lower heat to simmer and cover for 15-20 minutes. Add the coconut milk or cream. Blend with an immersion blender to blend all onion, carrot and liquid together. If soup is too thick, add more broth or water a little at a time until desired consistency. Add the lime and then adjust seasonings to taste. Top with your choice of toppings listed above. 

 

This soup freezes really well and tastes great as leftovers for up to 5 days in the fridge.

If freezing, place in mason jar with 1 inch of empty space left at the top and the lid slightly off. Once frozen you can tighten the lid well to prevent freezer burn. Label with kind of soup and the date. Best used within 2 months.

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Mango Lassi

 

Try this simple, fresh, Indian recipe for a smoothie-like drink called a Mango Lassi. This is one version, but there are ways to experiment with it. Get the freshest, sweetest mangoes you can find for the best lassi. 

Mango Lassi ingredients. You can add water to adjust the consistency.

Here’s the lassi with a little garnish. Beautiful, fresh and filling for a summer party.

 

 

Mango Lassi

Yields 2 (8 ounces each)

Ingredients

 

  • 2 mangos
  • 2/3 cup plain yogurt
  • 2 – 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/2 – 1 cup cold water

 

Optional

 

  • Ground cardamom and/or nutmeg
  • Garnish with mint and/or raspberry

 

Directions

Carefully remove mango flesh from the skin. You can do this by cutting the mango in half along each side of the pit. You will have 2 halves with most of the fruit. Cut the remaining fruit carefully off the pit. Scoop flesh out with a spoon and place in blender.

Discard the skin and pit. 

 

Blend mango, yogurt, sugar and water until smooth. Adjust sugar, yogurt and water to taste. Add water to make a thinner lassi.

You can blend in a few ice cubes too and even add ground cardamom in the blender.

Garnish if desired with optional garnishes.

 

ENJOY on a warm summer day. 😋

*You can alternatively use honey in place of the sugar.

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Sweet Potato Soup with Garam Masala & Lime

This recipe is demonstrated with sweet potato, but you can riff on the same soup with parsnips, potatoes, carrots, butternut squash and so much more. Once you’ve made this soup, you can start to experiment with different vegetables and spices to make fabulous soups without a recipe for the rest of your days! 

Have fun with it. 🙂

Yields 14 (1 cup) servings

Ingredients

  • 8 sweet potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 medium shallot
  • 10 cups water or veggie/chicken broth
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 lime
  • ½ cup heavy whipping cream or full fat coconut milk
  • Optional Garnishes
  • Pumpkin Seeds
  • Pomegranate molasses
  • Whole plain yogurt
  • Cilantro

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 400° F. Place sweet potatoes on a sheet pan and lightly coat with olive oil. Roast sweet potatoes in oven for 45 – 55 minutes. They are finished when a knife easily slides through the entire sweet potato.  Let them cool and peel off the skins.

Once cool, cut into large diced pieces. (No need to dice them perfectly.)

Heat a large saucepan to medium heat. Add coconut oil to the hot saucepan.

Dice the shallot and add to the heated oil. Sauté shallot until translucent.  Add the garam masala to the shallot and sauté for 1 more minute.

Add the roasted sweet potato pieces, water or broth and salt.  Bring to a low boil and then lower to a simmer for 20-30 minutes.  

Use an immersion blender to blend the shallot and sweet potato together. Squeeze the lime and add to the soup, along with the heavy whipping cream or coconut milk. Taste and adjust salt, lime and cream to your preferences if needed.

You can optionally top this with a dollop of yogurt, a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds, a swirl of pomegranate molasses, and/or chopped cilantro.