Carrot Ginger Soup

I really LOVE this soup!  And kids love it too which is awesome because it is often tough to get them to eat enough vegetables throughout the day.

Everyone came down with the flu over the holidays, and soup was the only thing the kids would eat.    This one is packed full of immune boosting nutrients and tastes pretty good too!  🙂

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger root
• 3 cups carrots, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic crushed
• 1/2 medium butternut squash
• 8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 3 large strips of zest from an organic orange
• Salt to taste
• Dash of dry sherry (optional)
• Dash of nutmeg
• Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro for garnish

Instructions

1) Heat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).  Scoop seeds out of the butternut squash half, and place cut side down onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until softened. Allow to cool, then scoop the squash flesh out of the skin using a large spoon and set aside. Discard skin.
2) Heat the coconut oil in a large pot, add the onion, 1/2 the garlic and 1/2 the ginger, and sauté, stirring, just until the onion is translucent.

3)  Add the carrots, stock & zest. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and boil gently until the vegetables are tender, about 20-30  minutes.

4) Remove zest and discard.  Add the remaining raw garlic & ginger, the nutmeg, and optional sherry.  Purée the soup in batches in a blender or food processor.

4)  Serve plain or garnished with chopped fresh parsley or cilantro.

On a cold winter day, this is a perfect warm up.   Enjoy!