I-Only-Have-Eyes-for-You Carrot Soup

I began my Valentine's Day celebration with a fine man with an advanced degree staring deeply into my eyes.  Yep, you guessed it, I went to the optometrist.  It has been many, many moons since my last actual eye exam (HourEyes not withstanding), and I'm pleased to report I don't have glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts, or presbyopia.  What I do have is a pair of baby blues who, apparently, are sick to death that their owner who never takes out her contacts.  It seems this results in the development of some new blood vessels around the cornea, which sometimes gives me the appearance of being an extra in a Ben Stein Dry Eyes commercial.

The easy (and medically-valid) solution to is taking out my contacts at night. Because I am not yet QUITE a medical professional (come on, 19 May!), I chose to augment the doctor's orders with my own little remedy: Carrot Soup.  Turns out, my grandmother was onto something and carrots ARE actually good for your eyes, particularly your night vision. Who knew? 

So- today we're working with a Carrot Soup that's easy-peasey and won't break the bank.


(And to the fine man with an advanced degree who is about to take me out to dinner without asking me to choose between Focus 1 and Focus 2-- Happy Valentine's Day!)

My pathetic attempt at artsy food photography.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs of carrots (I used baby carrots for ease's sake)
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 1/2 white onion or 1 shallot, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, diced
• 2 TBS cumin
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2 TBS fresh ginger (optional)
• 1 apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1 c broth
• 1 can light coconut milk
• 2 TBS honey (more/less to taste)
• A dollop of Daisey (some sour cream), for garnish (optional)

Assembly

1. Heat oil over med-high heat in a soup pot. Throw in onion and garlic, then cumin, and lemon zest/juice.  Allow to sautee until fragrant, about 4-5 minutes. 

2. Add carrots and combine well so carrots get all the good flavorings.  Cook covered until carrots are soft, approximately 7-10 minutes. Add the ginger, then the apple and give the whole thing a good stir again. Cover and let cook for another 2-3 minutes.

3. Add the coconut milk, then the broth. Stir until combined and allow to boil.  Let the soup simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.

4. If you like a brothy soup, let simmer for an extra 5 minutes and proceed to step 5.  If you like a creamier soup, puree it in a food processor until you get to the consistency you like.

5. Once your broth is where you want it, add in the honey to taste (this counteracts the lemon so nicely, in my opinion).  

6. Like all soups, this tastes way better when you let it cool and sit for a few hours.  When ready to serve, do a dollop o' Daisey and serve!