Carrot & Stick
Remember my friend Heather and her amazing marinara sauce? The recipe calls for some blending and Heather says that a stick blender works the best. Heather is a fabulous cook and I knew that her advice was something to take seriously. So, I headed to Kohl’s and dropped $50 on a Cuisinart SmartStick hand blender. And I am so glad I did! It is the coolest thing ever. I’m just looking around for things to blend. And that is how I came to be making carrot soup…
Easter is fast approaching and we are hosting my mother-in-law, sister-in-law and brother-in-law who will all be in from out-of-town. I’m starting to think about the menu and I thought it would be very Easter-y to start with a Carrot Soup. And truth be told – I was excited about the thought of blending up some carrots with my new SmartStick!
I hunted around for some recipes and found this one on the Dr. Oz site. It is sooooooooo healthy. It’s hard to believe that there is no cream in this soup. So what’s the secret ingredient? Rolled oats! And the stick blender does make the consistency simply dreamy. Check out my SmartStick in action.
Healthy Cream of Carrot Soup (from Dr. Oz)
2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (NuVal score: 11)
1 large onion cut into medium dice (NuVal score: 93)
1/2 tsp sea salt (NuVal score: 1)
2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch rounds (NuVal score: 99)
5 cups of vegetable stock (NuVal score for Swanson 100% Fat Free: 5)
1/4 cup rolled oats (NuVal score for Quaker Rolled Oats: 57)
1 1/2 tsp ginger juice
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish with 2 tsp dill and dollop of plain yogurt (NuVal score for Chobani non-fat plain Greek: 94)
In a medium-sized pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and salt. Sweat until onions are soft (about 5-8 minutes). Stir often to prevent browning. Add stock and oats to pot. Raise the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 25 minutes until carrots are tender. Pour contents of the pot into a blender. Blend the soup until creamy. Add additional stock to desired consistency. Add lemon and ginger juice. Readjust seasonings. Garnish with a dollop of yogurt and dill and serve.
This soup is delicious! It’s perfect for early Spring when it’s still cool enough to crave warm, filling foods, yet you also want something fresh and flavorful to awaken your senses. My daughter ate the whole bowl. My son tolerated it (that’s good!) and said that it “surprised his tummy.” My husband and I devoured ours and my mother enjoyed it for lunch the next day when she came over to babysit. It’s a keeper!
So, now, I want to blend more things! Asparagus soup, anyone?
Question of the Day
What should I make next with my SmartStick blender?
Posted by: Melissa 9 comments
Tags: Carrots, SmartStick
