Thai Carrot Ginger Soup

I love Thai food more than any other ethnic cuisine.  I'm not a big fan of Pad Thai, too many years of munching on airline peanuts as both pilot and frequent passenger, but I love everything else.  My favorite  - some of the soups as well as ginger anything.

But how about making my own.  This soup was easy, creamy and delish and spicy without being "hot" and was a great way to use up some extra carrots. The ginger and spices balanced the taste of the carrots quite nicely.

You also want to make this with the canned coconut milk and not the carton style that you would use on your cereal.  That's essential to get the creamy taste as well as making it extra filling while still being less than 300 calories a serving.

 It also freezes well.

Thai Carrot Soup 

2 tablespoons Olive Oil
3/4 large sweet onion chopped
2 pounds carrot, peeled and chopped (1 pound of carrots is about 5 medium sized ones, no wider than an inch and about six inches long)
4 teaspoons jarred minced Garlic
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground Cumin
1 teaspoon ground Coriander
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground Ginger
pinch of crushed red pepper
3 cups low-sodium veggie or chicken broth. (I used chicken bone broth for a Paleo version)
1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk, (the full-fat kind)

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, deep saucepan or Dutch Oven.
Add the onion and carrots and sauté until they begin to soften and onions are browning up)10-15 minutes)
Add the garlic and remaining spices and sauté until fragrant (1 to 2 minutes).
Add the broth and coconut milk and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat and simmer until the carrots are completely cooked.
Let cool slightly and then place the soup into a blender and blend until soup is creamy. 
Return to stove and heat for couple more minutes on medium.
When reheated, add a 1/4 teaspoon coconut sugar and a squeeze of lime before serving. (Optional)
Serve with some chopped basil or cilantro  (Optional)