Carrot-Parsnip Soup

As I mentioned in my last two posts (here and here), I made carrot-parsnip soup for dinner last night.  I found this on Cooking Light's website and it is a great winter soup because parsnips are at their peak in late fall and winter.  This makes plenty of leftovers and I paired it with a garlic-cheddar biscuit (from a mix) that I had in my pantry. Enjoy!

Carrot-Parsnip Soup with Parsnip Chips, modified from Cooking Light

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of olive oil, divided

2 1/2 cups yellow onion, chopped

1 pound parsnips, peeled and coarsely chopped 

1 pound carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

3 cups of water

2 (14 ounce) cans of low-fat veggie or chicken broth--we used bouillon cubes and 2 1/2 cups of water because that's what was on hand

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon curry powder--these three spices were not part of the original recipe, but I added them for a little more flavor!

1/2 cup sliced parsnip, sliced 1/8" thick--about 1 large parsnip

1 tablespoon chopped chives--we used green onions because we had them on hand for another recipe

Kitchen Supplies:

Blender/Food processor/Food mill/Immersion Blender--we used a blender because that is easiest to clean

Dutch oven or large stock pot

Mandoline (for parsnip chips) or a sharp knife--we used a sharp knife because mine is still in CA

Small skillet

Paper towel or brown paper bag

Directions:

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add chopped onion and cook for ten minutes, until tender, stirring occasionally. Add parsnips, carrots, water, broth, cumin, cinnamon, curry powder and pepper.  Simmer for 50 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Remove from heat and let cool for five minutes.

Place half of mixture in blender and blend until smooth.  Pour pureed mixture into large bowl.  Puree other half of the mixture.  Return both to dutch oven and heat over low while you prepare the parsnip chips.

Heat remaining 5 teaspoons of olive oil in a small skillet.  When hot, add parsnip chips and cook until lightly brown, about five minutes, stirring occasionally.  Spoon out and let dry on a paper towel lined plate.

Ladle soup into bowls.  Top with parsnip chips and chives/green onions.  Serve. 

Serves: 6

Calories: 159 calories per serving 

Serving size: 1 1/3 cups of soup, 2 teaspoons of parsnip chips and 1/2 teaspoon chives

This is a great soup because it calls for very few ingredients and has a little bit of down time that you can use to do other things while it cooks.  I used the time to clean the kitchen, go through the day's mail and reload the dishwasher.

After dinner J and I watched Food Inc, thanks to our new Netflix subscription.  Neither of us had seen it before and it was definitely an eye-opening movie.  Let's just say I was glad I had a vegetarian meal last night!

That reminds me, anyone in the St. Louis area know of some good places to get local meat?  I used to get sausages and eggs at the Ferguson Farmer's Market but they are closed for the season and after watching Food Inc I'd like to take a little more care in what sorts of meat I purchase...