Guest Blog Recipe: Camille Styles’ Coconut Carrot Soup
I was introduced to Camille Styles and her blog, CamilleStyles.com, last year when her writer and photographer, Chelsea Fullerton, photographed my husband and me at our farm. I’ve since become friends with this lovely lady, have featured her on my blog and now as part of my new DYNS Master Class. She’s a Flexible Vegetarian who is talented in the kitchen, too.
She is sharing this delicious carrot soup recipe with us today. It’s perfect for a fall lunch.
From Camille: I’ve finally faced the facts that I, for one, cannot live on liquids alone (sayonara, juice cleanse!)… but I do think there’s something to be said about giving our bodies a digestive break and tapping into the healing properties of a liquid meal once in a while. Of course, when temps start to turn a bit chilly, sometimes a warming bowl of soup sound more comforting than a cold smoothie.
This coconut carrot is my current favorite — the sweetness of the carrots combined with a touch of creamy coconut milk makes it taste downright indulgent, yet it’s so packed full of colorful veggies that I can polish off a bowl and feel like I did something good for myself. If you’re not detoxing, serve with a loaf of crusty bread or maybe a lemony-dressed green salad to make it a meal.
Ingredients
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1/4 cup minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3/4 pound carrots, peeled (if needed) and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons honey
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (or use vegetable broth to make it vegetarian)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 bay leaf
1 cup light coconut milk
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
Preparation
1. Heat a small dry skillet over medium, then add the coconut flakes. Toast, tossing occasionally, until flakes are golden on the edges. Remove to a plate and let cool (careful — it can burn quickly!).
2. Set a large pot over medium-high heat. Melt the butter with the olive oil, then add the onion. Sweat until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds, then add the carrots, curry powder and honey. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until the carrots soften, about 8 minutes.
3. Add the broth, salt, pepper and bay leaf, and let simmer for 25 minutes until the carrots are very soft. Remove the pot from the heat, then dig out the bay leaf and discard. Add the coconut milk, then use an immersion blender (or a countertop blender — just be careful when blending hot ingredients!) to purée until very smooth. Adjust the seasonings, adding more salt or pepper as needed.
4. To serve, garnish with cilantro leaves and toasted coconut flakes.
