It totally tastes better than it looks. Promise.
So spring has totally sprung, dude. Birds chirping. Flowers blooming. Walking Dead is back.
The usual signs are all here. What this means is that two major knee-shaking with fear events are on the horizon:
1. April 15th…the tax man cometh.
and 2…and perhaps even scarier: swimsuit season approaches.
Now, I’m not suddenly going low fat/low carb/low deliciousness on you, but keep in mind that I don’t eat only what gets posted here, in its buttery glory. I totally have wobbly bits to keep in check.
Lots of things go un-posted: a basic salad with some protein thingy, oatmeal, yogurt, toast (as she crunches, spraying crumbs across the computer screen), a bowl of veggies for dinner…what have you. I just don’t think anyone wants to see that stuff, unless it’s a superfabulous salad or home strained greek yogurt.
You can totally see this one though: Carrot Parsnip Ginger Soup. Here, we get to use up the last parsnips of the winter that were stashed in the crisper for, like, weeks. So, we feel less wasteful…go on. Feel it.
Then, we get to enjoy its awesome flavor. I love parsnips…it took me by surprise, but there’s something about their weird little bite that thrills me.
And even better, this stuff’s super good for you. Vitamins and junk. Totally vegan, but you can use chicken stock and a touch of cream if that morally offends you in some way. Even doctored, this stuff will both comfort and prepare you for swimsuit season.
For tax day? Good luck.
Parsnips. A second cousin or so to carrots.
Do you see the family resemblance?
Not siblings…a bit removed for that.
But definitely invited to the family reunion.
Into a soup pot with some olive oil you go.
You could totally line a cookie sheet with foil and roast the carrots and parsnips, doused lovingly with the oil, sprinkled with herbs, at 400 for 40 minutes. I’ve done that before.
You don’t have to though, this is still awesome.
Welcome to the party, carrots!
What a lovely color you’re wearing.
Into the pot you go.
Leave them alone for a while before giving them a stir, to get some color.
Or don’t. S’cool.
Friends who help clean up dropped bits in the kitchen are just fabulous.
Did you know he and I blast the music and dance in the kitchen together?
Yep. Totally dog abuse? But he likes it…
Chop up an onion and throw it in…
And smoosh some garlic with a knife to peel it, then toss that in too. Garlic can totally par-tay.
48 ounces of vegetable stock…if you want to make this vegan and for just a meal or two, totally feel like you’re just a better person than anyone else.
Totally true. Sorry. Veganism does something to your psyche.
Cover and bubble up that soup pot of health until the veg is tender…don’t test it with your fingers, like Jes-say.
But she does have some purty fingers, so we’ll let her slide.
Grab some freakish looking ginger.
I don’t bother to peel it…just wash and grate.
About a tablespoon, or an inch and a half chunk.
And just add that in here…the kick is pretty awesome.
Sweetness from the carrots, spice from the ginger and garlic, that certain somethin’ somethin’ the parsnips throw down. Quite the combo.
Grab your immersion blender and puree.
Blend this into oblivion!
Salt and pepper, of course.
A squeeze of lemon for freshness.
I am really liking this as a soup finishing tool…truly the simplest twists are the greatest!
Ladle it up.
Into a big ole bowl. Relax. It’s uber healthy.
You can totally eat heaps of it and feel good about it.
And to make it even more awesome, dunk a glorious piece of buttered crusty bread in here.
The butter is totally cancelled out by the parsnips. Bring on the pool time!
Carrot Parsnip Ginger Soup
You will need about 30 minutes and:
1 pound carrots
1 pound parsnips
1 yellow onion
3 -4 cloves garlic
48 ounces vegetable broth or stock
olive oil
fresh ginger
lemon juice
Add some olive oil to a large pot or dutch oven and start it over medium high heat. Peel and chop your parsnips into 1 – 2 inch cubes and add them to the pot. Chop your carrots, peel and chop your onion, and add those as well. Let them sit for a few minutes before stirring to allow them to color.
Using a large knife, bear down on the garlic cloves to peel and add them to the pot as well.
Reduce heat to medium and pour in the vegetable stock. Cover and simmer until the veg is all fork tender, about 20 minutes.
Wash the ginger and finely grate about a tablespoon. Add that to the pot and turn off the heat.
Using an immersion blender, or a regular blender in batches, blend the soup until smooth and velvety. If it’s too thick, feel free to splash in a bit more broth, or even water.
Salt and pepper to taste, and just before serving squeeze in the juice of half a lemon.
*If you prefer a richer soup and aren’t worried about a random vegan coming ’round for dinner, use chicken broth instead of the vegetable and splash in 1/4 cup of heavy cream instead of the lemon juice. Just fabulous.
Serves 8
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