The last of the last Farmers Market near us was a couple of weeks ago. It was cold and raining but it was the last one. Not Even nasty Chicago weather was going to keep us from the last Farmers Market for 6 months. Every year though it’s the same. It’s like saying goodbye to colorful yummy smelling family who are heading south for the winter.
We bought more apples than we could eat, of course. So I created a couple of recipes to use up the apples and this is one of them. We still have a few things growing in our garden, including carrots. Sounded like a pretty good combo to me and so it is. The sweetness of the apples and carrots, are mellowed by the savory spices and by roasting the carrots in olive oil first. The addition of the creamy coconut milk makes this soup very filling and satisfying.
I made this Apple Carrot Coconut Soup vegan because we eat vegan two times a week. You won’t miss the meat or dairy in this soup because the coconut milk checks the hunger box. This soup will take care of that for you. That is why the coconut milk is an important addition. I did not use use vegetable broth because I did not want any other flavors to compete with the apples and carrots. Try it this way first and then if you want to experiment you can substitute vegetable broth or chicken broth for 2 cups of the water.
INGREDIENTS
3 cups carrots, peeled and cubed
3 cups of apples, peeled, cored and sliced
2Tbs Olive Oil
1tsp dried cumin, 1/2 tsp dried coriander, 1 tsp dried thyme leaves (if using fresh, then it’s 1 Tbs)
1 can coconut milk (about 16oz) – use light coconut milk if you are sensitive to the high fat content in coconut
4 cups of water
2 tsp salt and 1 ground black pepper
RECIPE
Peel and rough chop your carrots. * side note – the odd shaped carrots are the result of me not being able to bring myself to thin the seedlings. They look like they’re from the Island of Misfit Veggies (a Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer Movie reference). They still taste good though. 🙂
Next – toss with Olive Oil and roast at 375 F for about 20 minutes, checking them at about the 15 min mark.
The carrots are so tasty roasted that you may want to throw in a few extra so you can snack on them while you’re making the soup.
While the carrots are roasting, prep your apples. Put the peeled, cored and chopped apples in your soup pot with two cups of water.
Bring your pot of apples to a rapid boil, adding a little extra water if needed to keep the apples just covered. Let the apples boil until they are full and soft, like the last photo, about 20-30 minutes. The smell is fantastic.
Add your roasted carrots
Next, add the last 2 cups of water. Let the pot cook for another 20 minutes. Add 1 tsp of cumin, (roasted if you can find it), 1/2 tsp of coriander, 1 tsp of dried thyme leaves being sure to release the oils in the leaves by crushing them in your hands before adding them to the pot. Stir the herbs in and then add your coconut milk. Let this mixture cook for another 15-20 minutes.
Let the pot simmer for another 15 minutes then scoop the soup into a blender or food processor You may have to do this in two batches. Your soup will then turn into this beautiful golden orange, like the color of fall leaves.
It tastes as good as it looks, smells even better.
Most Gardeners are cooks at some level. It is very rewarding to prepare a meal using the produce you planted and nurtured for months. It is very nurturing for both the cook and for those for whom you are cooking. Next week is when we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the States. We will give thanks for the opportunity to serve and be served, to share an abundant table with family and with friends who have become family. I am thankful to be able to cook from garden for my loved ones and to share my recipes with other cooks and gardeners. I wish the same for everyone else.
