Spicy carrot soup with coconut, lime, and young ginger

Peering in my post-Thanksgiving fridge, I found an abundance of carrots and plenty of luscious turkey broth (made by Paul) and felt compelled to make carrot soup. I am a sucker for creamy pureed veggie soups and love to eat them all winter long. Usually I make a nice big pot to freeze for later meals.

I must admit that I winged it on this recipe, using flavors that sounded yummy with the carrots. Carrots can be a little boring, but using both coconut oil and coconut milk gave the soup a lovely creaminess, while the lime, ginger, and cayenne added a nice kick.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons raw organic coconut oil
• 1 whole yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 1-2 teaspoons young ginger, minced
• 6 cups carrot, roughly chopped
• 3-4 cups homemade broth
• 13 oz coconut milk
• salt to taste
• cayenne pepper to taste
• juice to two limes
• a few sprigs of fresh cilantro
  

Melt coconut oil in soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and ginger. Cook for a couple of minutes. Add carrots, and cook covered for 10-15 minutes until carrots begin to soften. Add broth, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer for 10-15 more minutes. Add coconut milk. Cook a bit longer until carrots are done. Then add lime juice, and salt, pepper and cayenne to your liking. (I put in 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne and the soup was really spicy.) Puree and you are ready to eat. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

We ate this soup with simple quesadillas topped with chopped avocado, lime, salt, and cilantro.