This morning I woke up to the sound of rain and wind pounding my house. The cold front that was promised has definitely moved in! The temperature had dropped from a very spring-like 78 yesterday to a wintery (for central Texas) 35 and falling. Tonight we are supposed to be in the teens! I had a feeling this pseudo spring was going to be short lived. I don’t know about you, but when Jack Frost is nipping at my nose, all I want is a warm bowl of comfort called soup. In a happy little bit of serendipity, I came across this recipe for carrot soup and decided to try it. I ran the recipe through the old points program and it is VERY points friendly! You can eat half the recipe for a mere 7 points!!! That would be about 2 cups of soup. Best of all, it has such a wonderful sweet, smokey, subtly spicy flavor. I’m wishing I had made a double batch! The addition of a little plain non-fat yogurt really ups the richness factor, too and it is included in the points value! I hope you’ll like it as much as I do!
Moroccan Carrot Soup
adapted from Epicurious
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup chopped white onion
- 1 pound carrots, cut into 1/2 inch dice
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth (I used veggie)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 cup plain, non-fat yogurt, stirred to loosen (you could also use greek yogurt for a little extra punch)
- kosher salt and white pepper to taste (you could use black, but I used white, so it wouldn’t show)
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until browned. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in carrots and sauté another minute or two. Add broth; bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and let simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20-25 minutes.
In a small skillet, heat cumin seeds over medium-high heat until fragrant and toasted, about 4 minutes; cool. Finely grind in a spice mill or a molcajete (see photo).
Remove the soup from heat and using an immersion blender, puree until smooth. You could also use a blender or a Ninja (I love my Ninja). Whisk in honey, lemon juice, and allspice. Season with salt and pepper.
Ladle into soup bowl and spoon a dollop of yogurt over (about 1/8 cup per cup of soup). Sprinkle generously with cumin. Feel warm and fuzzy inside!!