Souper Bowl Sunday! (Spicy Carrot Ginger Soup)

Happy Super Bowl Sunday to all!  In the midst of all of this LOVELY weather we have been experiencing, I thought a nice warm soup would be perfect.  Pittsburgh teased us yesterday with 45 degrees, and this morning wouldn’t have been bad had it not been pouring rain (we are expecting snow later). Additionally, that stinkin’ gigantic rat, groundhog, whatever you want to call  it, saw his shadow this morning.  6 more weeks of winter, because who DOESN’T love polar vortexes and snow storms all the time?!

Enough with the sarcasm.  I’m a firm believer in taking things as they are.  It’s February.  I don’t live in the tropics.  The fact that I got ANY 45 degree days is a blessing. Winter is supposed to be here, and that’s just how it is.  Time to accept it and move forward, with a belly full of Spicy Carrot Ginger Soup.  This soup packs some heat!  If you’re faint-of-heart when it comes to spice, tone down the Cayenne in this one, or you’ll feel like a fire breathing dragon.  But guess what?! Spicy food is great for you! The capsaicin in hot peppers (i.e. Cayenne) aids in digestion and boosts your metabolism (while “insulation” in the form of fat might feel great now, it won’t in a few months when it’s time to bust out the skimpy bikini).  It also has some immune-boosting factors, as does ginger!  The Cinnamon in here is a great balance for the heat of the Cayenne, and is an anti-inflammatory and helps to stabilize blood sugar levels!  Not to mention the significant amount of Vitamin A provided by the carrots, which, as everyone knows, is great for your sight.  So, basically, if you eat this soup you will be a sexy, healthy, super(wo)man with superhero vision while everyone else is fat, sick, and blind (I tend to exaggerate a bit, but hey, you never know, it could happen).

Oh, p.s., one serving of this soup is only 70 calories, so eat up and stay HOT!

Spicy Carrot Ginger Soup

Serving size: 1 cup

Makes about 12 servings

2 lbs carrots

42 g ginger (about a palm-sized piece)

4 cloves garlic

2 large onions

1 head celery

4 tsp olive oil

1 tsp cayenne powder

2 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1.5 c flax milk (or any kind of milk… If you use flax milk make sure its the unsweetened kind!  I’m not sure how vanilla almond milk would taste in this soup…)

6 cup broth (chicken or vegetable)

¾ tsp nutmeg

¾ tsp cinnamon

garlic salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Cube all of the vegetables and put into a large bowl.  Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables.  Add all of the spices.  Mix well, ensuring that all vegetables are coated evenly with the seasonings and olive oil. Spread the coated veggies onto a tin-foil covered pan (I used two pans, there are a lot of veggies in here!).  Bake for approximately 50 minutes, or until they are tender, being sure to mix them around a few times during baking.  Put the vegetables into a food processor with the broth and flax milk (unless you have a gigantic industrial sized food processor you will likely have to do this in batches).  Pulse until fairly smooth.  Add garlic salt and pepper as needed, and enjoy!

Nutrition information: 

calories: 70; Fat: 2.7 g; trans fat: 0 g; sodium: 124.7 g; carbs: 9.7 g; fiber: 1.8 g; sugar: 5 g; protein: 1.6 g

whopping 81% recommended daily value of Vitamin A! Whoop!