Carrot Ginger Soup with Coconut Oil

Carrot Ginger Soup with Coconut Oil

Soup for you! You have to make this delicious and yet easy to make soup! It's super fast too...in 30 minutes you get soup! And it reheats nicely in the microwave so it's perfect to bring to work too. The carrots have a little sweetness, the sweet potato adds body, and the ginger gives it such good flavor.


And why is there a huge tub of Organic Coconut Oil in this mise en place? Well, the nice folks at Costco reached out to me and gave me a few items from the store. I haven't used coconut oil before so it was a treat to get this. My family has been a member of Costco since the Price Club days. There are so many things I buy at Costco - contact lenses, gasoline, tires for my car, blueberries, raspberries, that rotisserie chicken, photo center for prints, King's Hawaiian rolls, Nestle Chocolate Chips, hella oral hygiene stuff (Sonicare toothbrushes, floss and those little pick things for between your teeth...yeah, a little TMI there), paper towels, TP, dog beds for Cidney, televisions (I've bought three for my family over the years), and yes, on occasion, the famous food court's frozen yogurt, slice of pizza and a hot dog with sauerkraut (yes, ask for the sauerkraut - it's on their secret menu). I can go on and on... what are your favorite items at Costco?

I'm extra excited because my Costco is getting a bigger Costco! The Torrance Costco is always so busy - it needs more room. They are building a bigger Costco right next door to the existing one...with more parking! It will even have a car wash!

Costco's Organic Virgin Coconut Oil makes your kitchen smell very tropical when you are cooking with it. (By the way, you may read about me hatin' on the coconut, but I only hate the coconut strands and flakes because they feel like dental floss. I love coconut flavored stuff.) Coconut oil has no cholesterol and can be used in place of oils and butter. It has a low melting temperature so although it is solid, it melts really quickly in your pan. I'm excited to try some new recipes - including a cake where the coconut oil replaces butter, and coconut oil popcorn! I'll post those when I attempt them!


The Carrot Ginger soup is so easy to make, and it takes about 30 minutes total!! You just saute the shallots and ginger in coconut oil, then put in the carrots, sweet potato and water. Cook until tender and then go crazy with your immersion blender!

This recipe can be vegan if you skip the optional yogurt or sour cream topping.
~ mary

P.S. NPR's Planet Money Show (my favorite!) did a great piece on the history of Costco and membership shopping. You should listen to it - it's very interesting!

FCC Disclosure: Costco gifted me Virgin Coconut Oil. Opinions are my own. Dude, I love Costco. 

I used Young Ginger I purchase from the Torrance Farmer's Market. It comes with big stalks and you can boil the leaves to make tea (photo from 2012 on the left). Young Ginger isn't as fibrous as regular ginger, and it is much more mellow than its older sibling. I love young ginger! It's only available for a short time so I buy a bunch and freeze it. NPR wrote a piece about young ginger you might want to read...and try to find some!



Carrot Ginger Soup
Adapted from: Martha Stewart Carrot Ginger Soup
Makes 6 cups, about 8 servings

1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon or more minced ginger (I used young ginger that isn't as strong so I used a little more)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped
4 cups water
Sea salt
Optional: Yogurt or sour cream

1. In a medium post, melt coconut oil and then add shallots and ginger. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes.
2. Add carrots, sweet potato, water and a 1 teaspoon sea salt.
3. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, until the veggies are cooked and tender.
4. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth. You can also use a blender to puree the soup. Add salt to taste.
5. Serve soup with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream.

National Carrot Cake Day, George Clooney, and Spiced Carrot Cake (Everyday Food)

Spiced Carrot Cake

OMG! True story: I made Everyday Food's Spiced Carrot Cake yesterday and brought it into work (Tuesday, February 3, 2009). While browsing my reader, this Serious Eats entry came up! Turns out, February 3rd was National Carrot Cake Day!

I see this and shout it out to my co-workers. What a coincidence!

Then, I say: "Tomorrow will be 'George Clooney Comes to My Office Day'."

Hey, a girl can hope! (When I worked in non-profit years ago, George Michael did stand in the doorway of my office on a tour.) And, I think George is in town filming his return to ER... :)

Okay, here is the real reason I made the Spiced Carrot Cake from Everyday Food!

I have an episode of Everyday Baking with John B. on my DVR. I haven't seen this PBS show in a bit...I hope it is still in production! His show "The Best Cakes" aired in June 2008 and has 4 cakes:
Coconut Layer Cake
Three Layer Apple Cake
Spiced Carrot Cake
Boston Cream Pie

And I'm going to try them all!

Here is Round One: Spiced Carrot Cake

I love these Sweet Nantes Carrots from Trader Joe's. They are like orange sugar. One cup of finely shredded carrots and 1/3 c of low-fat plain yogurt make this a moist cake. It also has eggs and oil. I guess you could make it non-dairy by using soy yogurt.

This recipe has 1/2 t cardamom (I threw in 1/4 t of cinnamon as well). It is a really simple batter - no KitchenAid needed. After it cools, drizzle on some powdered sugar and water glaze. It is super moist. You can also add some nuts for added crunch. Next time, I might add some finely grated zucchini for added fun.

Happy National Carrot Cake Day!

e. a. s. y.
p. e. a. s. y.
Spiced Carrot Cake
Recipe here on the PBS site and here on Martha's site.