Something summery

They say spring has set in, and I thought this would be a great time to make a fresh, very spring like, but has “gotta to be delicious” dish. Soups are normally thought of during wintertime, to make you feel all warm inside. That may be true, but spring and summer beckon their own version of soup. This one is light, and very easy to prepare. Try it on a day that’s not too cold, combine it with a sandwich and you’ve got a great meal for either lunch or dinner. I know carrot and orange sounds like an unusual pairing, but the ingredients don’t overpower each other, and it’s very delicious. Wouldn’t you want delicious in your meal?

 Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Leeks chopped (White and light green parts)
1 shallot

Mint (few leaves to cook and few to garnish)

3 cups chopped carrots

6 cups vegetable stock or water

Rind and juice of 2 oranges

¾ cup low fat yogurt

2 tsp Cornstarch (Cornflour)

Salt

                                                      Pepper 

Method:

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the shallots, leeks and cook for a couple of minutes. Add a small pinch of salt at this point, will bring out the juices of the vegetables and help cook in its own juice. Once the leeks and shallots have turned translucent, add the carrots. Cook for about 5- 10 minutes until the carrots seem softened. Now pour in the stock, orange rind and juice, a few mint leaves, nutmeg and pepper. Let the vegetables cook for about 30 – 40 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, mix the yogurt and cornstarch in a separate bowl and set aside.

 Let the cooked carrots and vegetable mixture cool and then blend them all in a blender or food processor. Return the mixture back to a pan, stir in the yogurt-cornstarch mixture. Season it. You could reheat it if you wanted to, but do so very gently. If you reheat on high the yogurt might curdle on you. Serve hot garnished with few mint leaves, preferably with a warm Panini. 

§         You could buy the vegetable stock, or make your own at home. If you do buy it make sure it’s the low sodium one. So that way, you can control the salt in the soup

§         Would be really nice if the orange juice is fresh.

§         Shallots are the small onions that you can find in the onion/potato aisle