Mild Curried Ginger and Carrot Soup

Scientists have found that cooking and pur?ng carrots increases the availability of their antioxidants more than three times. Keeping the outer skin on carrots (as with other fruits and vegetables) retains numerous extra cancer-fighting compounds. Carrots belong to the "umbelliferous" group of foods, which contain rich sources of plant chemicals, including beta-carotene and canthaxanthin.

2 tsp (10 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 Tbsp (30 ml) ginger root, grated or minced
1 tsp (5 ml) ground coriander
1/2 tsp (2 ml) ground cumin
1/4 tsp (1 ml) curry powder
1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt
1/4 tsp (1 ml) pepper
4 cups (1 L) carrots, chopped
3 cups (750 ml) vegetable stock
2 cups (500 ml) low fat milk or enriched soymilk
1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped fresh cilantro

In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat and cook the garlic, onion, ginger root, coriander, cumin, curry powder, salt, and pepper. This releases the aroma of the curry.

Cook until onions are soft, five to 10 minutes. Stir in the carrots until well coated, add the stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook until carrots are very soft, 20 to 30 minutes.

Turn off heat. Using a hand blender, carefully blend the soup until creamy. (If no hand blender is available, transfer the soup in batches to a blender. This gives best results if you're having company over.)

Return pot to heat and add milk or soymilk, reheating gently until just hot. Serve in bowls and decorate with cilantro. Serves 4.

Source: alive #258, April 2004