Hot or Cold Carrot Soup

As I mentioned in my last post, Shana is down a wisdom tooth. While she is slowly working back into foods she can chew, I took the opportunity to try out a new recipe for a blended soup. Working through this recipe was fun because I got to use an ingredient I rarely use (leeks) and it made me think about throwing a dinner party in the future where everyone gets tiny little bowls of a rainbow of blended soups. I realize that I already have one orange-colored blended soup, so I'd have to choose which one to put in my rainbow. I guess I could decide based on the time of year and I need a red soup...but I digress.

I posted on Facebook last night that I was trying this new recipe but was waiting to see if it was good cold before I posted it here. I tried it a few minutes ago after it had been siting in the fridge overnight and it was DELICIOUS! It could be better cold than hot, even, as the flavors have had a chance to really meld. Regardless of how you eat it, this soup is a winner!

Carrot/Cumin/Lime Soup
This recipe appeared in the August 1998 issue of Bon Appetit magazine and you can find it online here. I only made minor changes and used vegan ingredients.

I did a rough chop of the carrots.
These are about 1/4" (or more) wide.

Ingredients
2 lb. carrots, peeled and chopped
2 large leeks, white and light green parts chopped
3 large cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 slightly rounded T. cumin
scant 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
6 1/2 c. veggie broth
7 T. vegan sour cream
2 T. lime juice
lime zest, optional

Directions
1. Saute carrots and leeks over med-high heat until the leeks start to soften (not brown).
2. Add garlic, saute another minute.
3. Add cumin and red pepper, saute another 30 seconds.
4. Add veggie broth and reduce heat; simmer 35 minutes or until carrots are able to be smashed with a fork on the side of the pot.
5. Blend soup with an immersion blender or in a blender in batches.
6. Stir in sour cream, then stir in lime juice.
7. Garnish with an extra little dollop of sour cream and lime zest, if desired.

Helpful Hints

• We thought the soup was a bit spicy last night, but it was not as spicy today when I ate it cold. It still had warmth to it, it just didn't feel as spicy. 
• The sour cream totally makes this soup! However, it also makes it pretty rich. I'm not sure that I could eat just this for dinner, like I can with nearly any other soup I make. 
• I opted to use Better Than Bouillon's vegetable broth for this, because I didn't want the No Chicken or No Beef flavors to take center stage. I'm glad I did, as the sweetness of the carrot, warmth of the cumin, and brightness of the lime really came through.  
• As always, if you are blending hot soup in the blender (rather than using an immersion blender), be very careful while pouring and blending!!
• If we'd been eating crunchy foods, I might have made some open-faced garlic bread (Italian bread brushed with olive oil that has been flavored with fresh minced garlic, salt, and pepper, then broiled until crunchy, like bruschetta). This also would have been good with a leafy salad. 
• This would make a great appetizer course for a dinner party! 
• My guess is that this would freeze well, but I'm not sure. I didn't test it out, so if you do, let me know how it works. 

The post "Hot or Cold Carrot Soup" originally appeared on Maggie's LesVegan Kitchen.