How about a steaming bowl of this heart healthy carrot and ginger soup? Fresh, seasonal carrots bring the sweetness, balanced out with the heat from the root ginger and toasted pumpkin seeds for crunch and colour contrast.
How about a steaming bowl of this heart healthy carrot and ginger soup? Fresh, seasonal carrots bring the sweetness, balanced out with the heat from the root ginger and toasted pumpkin seeds for crunch and colour contrast.
Typical nutritional content (per portion)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, finely grated
2.5 cm (1in) fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated
675g (1 ½ lb) carrots, finely chopped
1 tablespoon clear honey
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
900ml (1 ½ pints) vegetable stock
2 tablespoons half-fat crème fraiche
Freshly grounded black pepper
2 teaspoons toasted seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, etc.) to serve
Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the onion and ginger and cook over a low heat for 1 minute until just beginning to soften, stirring.
Add the carrots to the onion and ginger mixture with the honey and lemon juice. Stir to combine and pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the carrots are completely tender and the liquid has slightly reduced in volume.
Add a tablespoon of crème fraiche and stir to dissolve it. Leave the soup to cool a little, then blend to a puree in batches in a food processor or with a hand-blender. For a really smooth finish you can pass through a fine sieve into a bowl.
Reheat the soup gently and season lightly with pepper.
Ladle into bowls. Gently place a teaspoon of crème fraiche in the centre of each one, then scatter some toasted seeds over and swirl gently to serve.