Velvety Carrot-Ginger Soup

A bowl of this silky-smooth carrot soup is so rich and velvety you may think it is laden with cream. Not so!

Ingredients:

• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 large onion
• 1tbsp. of olive oil
• 6 large carrots
• 1 large or 2 small parsnips (optional)
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger or 1 ½ tsp bottled minced ginger
• 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ salt
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 4 cups water
• 1 can of undiluted chicken broth

Directions

1) Coarsely chop garlic and onion. Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and stir often until soft, 5 min.
2) Meanwhile, peel carrots and parsnips. Slice into ½-inch thick rounds. Grate ginger. Add all to onion mixture. Sprinkle with cumin, salt and nutmeg. Stir in water and undiluted chicken broth. Bring to boil. Cover. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring often, until vegetables are very tender, 30 min.
3) Ladle about 1/3 of soup into a food processor or blender. Whirl until pureed, scraping down inside of bowl as needed. If you like your soup with a velvety silken texture, press through a sieve into a clean saucepan. Discard anything that doesn't pass through the sieve. Repeat with remaining soup in 2 more patches. Soup will keep well covered and refrigerated, at least 5 days or freeze up to 1 month.
4) When ready to serve, heat soup over medium-high, stirring often until hot. Pour into soup bowls. Swirl a little fat free sour cream on top.

Exchanges

Makes 8 cups.
½ cup = 46 calories.
Count as 1 restricted vegetable (group 2).