Earlier this month, as I was cleaning out my fridge I found a bag of carrots hiding out in the back and decided that they needed to be used up. My first thought was soup – followed quickly by the thought of using coconut milk in it. So, I searched for a recipe and found one that included ingredients in my kitchen: Carrot-Coconut Soup from Bon Appetit.

Carrot Soup

Carrot Soup

I pretty much followed the recipe as written. My main differences were using coconut oil instead of butter and the types of salt & pepper I used. In the soup, I used a lemon sea salt flake and my favorite Trader Joe’s Lemon Pepper grinder. As I “plated” the soup & drizzled a bit of the Thai sweet chili sauce in it, I also sprinkled flakes of a homemade chili lime salt on top.

That first bag of carrots included three colors: orange, yellow & purple. As the soup was simmering on the stove, I thought for sure I was going to end up with a purple soup. Thankfully, the whirl of the immersion blender balanced out the colors to something closer to refried beans.

This soup…wow! A tasty and tangy combination of flavors that is so, so good. That hint of the Thai sweet chili sauce is the perfect “extra” in this recipe. I thoroughly enjoyed this and have decided that this will be a “always on hand” recipe. In addition to being a great soup “as is” I also see opportunities to use it in different ways – ladle over brown rice & some cooked shrimp for a heartier meal; throw some veggies in the bowl to bulk it up and more. With business travel back in the schedule, it’s nice to know that I can count on having a simple and tasty homemade meal in short order after eating out ALL the time while on the road.

What soups are simmering in your kitchen these days?