Good Morning Everyone! Why am I dancing in my seat on a dreary, dark, cold Monday morning at 6am???? Because I’m still riding my high from yesterday and because I’m in touch with all that I am thankful for. First, yesterday… I filmed my first TV show! It was a segment on a show called Healthy Food, Happy You broadcast on FPA in Northern Virginia. The show will air next month and will feature my vegan chocolate truffles for Valentine’s Day. SUPER excited … and it was REALLY fun! I thought I would be nervous in front of the camera, but I embraced the intermittent awkwardness and had a freaking blast! I’ll post the YouTube video as soon as it’s available.

Now, the gratitude. I talked to my nana last night and she gave me really sad news about a family member who is losing the battle to diabetes. I will not dwell here, but it made me sad, only to be uplifted at the end of the convo when nana said, “be grateful, especially for your health. Every morning I wake up, I am grateful for my health.” This morning, I too, woke up grateful–not just for my health, but for my security, for the people in my life, for having a job, for having this wonderful creative outlet, and the list goes on….

With that morning musing, I leave you (ah, to head to that job I’m so grateful for :D) with soup–the second dish in our Christmas meal. Bright, warming, comforting, and incredibly easy to make!

“Creamy” Carrot Soup

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

Soup:

1. 1 pound carrots—washed and peeled
2. ½ medium yellow onion—diced
3. 2 cloves garlic—minced
4. Olive oil
5. 1 cup pureed pumpkin
6. 1 teaspoon ginger powder
7. 1/8-1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
8. 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
9. ½ – 1 cup almond milk
10. ¼ cup orange juice
11. ¼ cup white wine
12. 1 teaspoon agave
13. ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
14. Salt
15. Pepper

Herbed oil:

1. ¼ cup olive oil
2. ¼ teaspoon green chile powder (or cayenne)
3. Big bunch (~3-5 tablespoons) fresh parsley
4. Vegan sour cream (garnish, optional)

Method:

*Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Roughly chop washed and peeled carrots. Add to baking dish with drizzle of olive oil (~ 2 tablespoons) and sprinkle of salt and pepper. Roast ~25-35 minutes until carrots are soft. Set aside.

*Add chopped onion to medium stock pot with ~1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Saute over medium low heat, stirring occasionally. After ~ 10 minutes, add garlic. Saute ~5-7 minutes until garlic is soft (you do not want color on either the garlic or the onion). Add a dash of salt and pepper, along with the ginger powder and dried thyme. Stir. Turn heat off.

*Add roasted carrots, onion/garlic mixture, broth, milk, wine, orange juice, agave, and vanilla extract to blender. Blend until smooth. Add additional milk/broth until the soup is your desired texture. Add soup back to stock pot and heat over medium low for ~10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasoning to taste.

*Make herbed oil by blending olive oil, chile powder, and parsley until completely mixed. Serve soup warm with drizzle of oil and dollop of sour cream. Enjoy!