Carrot Rutabega soup

I really enjoy making soups, especially in the winter time. Soups can be easily packed with veggies, protein and nourishing fats, which is in my opinion, the perfect combination. To make this soup you will need an immersion blender, which if you have not invested in, I highly encourage you to do so. They are so easy to operate and are perfect for soups because they break up all the ingredients really fine and transferring to a blender or food processor is not an issue or too hot (don’t burn yourself!) My words of advice on your purchase – buy a blender with metal or guaranteed not to melt plastic. I have ruined an immersion blender before since the “foot” encasing the blade was made of plastic which came in contact with the bottom of my hot crockpot. Do not worry about spending a huge amount of money on one either. Purchase one made by a reputable brand and enjoy.

Topped with crispy baked onions and Paive cheese

This soup involves loads of roasted vegetables. The end result features a wonderful bright orange color! Also, this recipe does not make too much soup. Sometimes I feel like I am floating in soup after making a recipe, there will be too much leftovers to freeze. When I am look at a soup recipe I am always thinking – what if I do not care for the flavor once I make it? That is one positive to making a smaller pot of soup. With no leftovers, this will easily feed a hungry family of six, or a very very hungry family of four. In my house it is now only me and my parents, so we had about 1.75 quarts of soup left over; and our portions were not large.

Carrot Rutabega soup

1 rutabega, scrubbed, peeled, diced (mine had ~6” diameter)

1/4 vadalia onion, diced in strips

1 large clove garlic, peeled, cut into large chunks

1 small yellow onion, large dice

1 bag normal sized carrots, cut large ones in half – use less if yours are gigantic

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp minced garlic (mine was from a jar)

3 good dashes red pepper flakes

1 15 oz can organic pumpkin – can use fresh if you have it!

4 cups chicken stock

Finishers:

1/2 stick real grass-fed butter

~1/4 tsp each: allspice, nutmeg, cardamom

~1/8-1/4 tsp cloves

1-2 tsp cinnamon

1-2 tsp oregano

1-1.5 tsp sea salt

~1/2 tsp black pepper

To make the soup:

1. In a large pot (this soup did not fill my 8 quart at all), heat olive oil on low-medium heat and add minced garlic and red pepper flakes. Let it get to know each other, turn it down if the oil smokes or spices begin to burn.

2. With ingredient group #1, spray lightly with olive oil and toss in salt and pepper. Spread out on a cookie sheet and place in a 400 degree oven until rutabega is tender.

3. With ingredient group #2, spray lightly with olive oil and toss in salt and pepper. Spread out on a cookie sheet and place in a 400 degree oven until carrots are soft.

4. While the veggies roast, get out your immersion blender. Add the pumpkin and chicken stock to the pot and whisk together. Bring the soup up to medium heat, where it should bubble and simmer.

5. When the veggies are cooked, add carrots and onions to the pot. Puree right in the pot with the immersion blender. Add the rutabega. Stir.

6. Lastly, add spices, butter and water as needed (depending on how thick or thin a soup you desire). My soup was thick, full of pumpkin and orange goodness with bite sized chunks of rutabega.

The spices for this are not spot on. I think the soup needed another hour to simmer with the final components added in, so the flavor could absorb and disperse throughout. I had some of this soup with greek yogurt for breakfast this morning and I really enjoyed the flavor profile. It tasted fantastic. So my advice would be to make ahead and refridgerate, or make the soup in the morning and serve it for dinner that night. Also, be sure to add some protein to your meal. We did that by cutting up some turkey hot dogs and grating some Paive cheese on top. I also made some "eggs in a nest" - idea from Cara - served on the side for protein.

The soup on top of greek yogurt and banana peices!

Love orange soups? You should check out my Red Vegetable soup, and also my Orange Vegetable soup, for lack of better names! These soups are great because they are packed full of vitamins and they fill you up without being heavy or huge in calories. It’s perfect end for a long day at work, or coming from a walk in the winter cold. And as I learned this morning, it makes a great cold breakfast!

I will give you all a Christmas update hopefully soon. Also, I apologize that I never got recipe ideas for Christmas posted. Things got a little hectic on my end. Please don't forget about my giveaway - it's so exciting! I also have a surprise post for you, so stay tuned :)

Happy Frigid January temperatures (at least here in New England)!