Carrot Orange Ginger Soup

After a lasagna and cookie filled weekend, I felt like I had just cheated on my body if that makes sense. When thinking about what I could have for dinner last night in order to come clean and feel better, one of the (many) favorite soups my Mom makes, came to mind. And to accompany it, some light salad rolls with peanut dipping sauce.

Lucky for us, there are citrus sales everywhere right now, and I'm going to guess just about everyone has a bag of carrots in their fridge they almost forgot about, until now.

Everyone knows chicken soup is good for your immune system. Why? Because your mom says so. No really, it is though. Well THIS soup is even better. It's great for digestion, your immune system, your skin...

The carrots give the soup an earthy full body with lots..and lots of vitamin C, vitamin A, and antioxidants. Garlic and onions are great at removing toxins in your blood cells. These early  flavors team up with fresh orange juice and zest (Also full of vitamin C), and a spicy kick of ginger (that helps in digestion) to make something so fresh, bright, and delicious, you'll have the feeling you're "walkin' on sunshine".
 If you are what you eat, how great is this?

SOUP Ingredients:

1 pound carrot, peeled and thinly sliced

1-2 medium-sized onions, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced  (use a garlic squeezer if you have one)

1(2-inch) piece fresh ginger, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large orange
4 1/2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable broth)

Salt pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
Fresh parsley to garnish
1/4 cup sour cream, creme fraiche, or greek yogurt

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add vegetables and ginger, stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes.
2. Meanwhile grate orange to yield 2 teaspoon grated zest.  Juice the orange to yield 1/2 cup juice. 
3. Add chicken stock and orange zest to pan,  bringing it to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for about 20 minutes or until the carrots are tender, stirring occasionally. 
4. In a food processor or blender, puree soup in batches until smooth; return to saucepan. 
5. Stir in orange juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Garnish each soup bowl with a little parsley and dollop of sour creme or yogurt.

Salad rolls and dipping sauce have an infinite level of variations. I love the Vietnamese salad rolls at Luna 61 in Tivoli, as well as the ones my friend Lea makes. The ones I make are quite literally salad and avocado rolled up in rice paper. (I use a mandolin to slice the veggies really thin). Cooked shrimp would be great in them, as would some rice vermicelli.

For the sauce: Heat about 2 T peanut butter over low heat. Add some fresh lime juice, soy sauce, and minced garlic, and voila! That's my sauce. Nothing fancy, but it tastes good, so what?