Moroccan Carrot Soup

Moroccan foods stem from many cultural influences; Arabs, Jews, and Christian cultures have all impacted the foods of Morocco. The area is rich in spices and ingredients and led me to create an entire party around it (soon I’ll post all of the recipes I made for this party). If you aren’t familiar with harissa paste, it’s a chili garlic paste that is in a lot of Moroccan recipes, and Middle Eastern cuisine. It has a smokey, spicy flavor. If you aren’t one for spicy things, cut back a little on the harissa, and add in the amount that suits your taste.

I originally found this recipe on Vegetarian Times (original recipe: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/moroccan-spiced-carrot-soup/) and altered it to cut out the oil and swap out white potatoes for sweet potatoes. This boosts the nutritional benefits of the soup and lowers its glycemic index. Also, by cutting out oil in your sautéing, you cut out unnecessary fats. Oil is void of nutrients other than fat. There are no vitamins or minerals in it. It’s much better to consume healthier versions of fat, like avocados, nuts, and seeds that will also provide omega 3-fatty acids and other nutrients that boost heart health.  To sauté oil free, simply add your veggies to a hot pan. If they start to stick, add a little water or broth to loosen them up. Just enough so that they don’t stick. This will still allow you to create a caramelized flavor and appearance.

This soup is made without oil, and is rich in vitamins and nutrients, while being low in calories, and fat free. Even though this soup is around 100 calories for a good sized serving, it’s filling. This soup has over 5g of fiber, which helps you to feel full longer and stay satisfied. It’s a powerhouse of antioxidants that help to fight inflammation in the body. It’s packed with potassium, which is important for kidney and nervous system regulation as well as lowering blood pressure. It’s also very high in Vitamins A and C which boost immune healthy and lower inflammation in the body. Did you know that peppers have 3x’s the Vitamin C that an orange does?!!!  Let’s hear it for this soup!!!! It’s great served with a little cashew sour cream too (plus, isn’t it so pretty?). Great for your spring holidays like Passover and Easter!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups finely diced onion
• 2 1/2 tbsp garlic
• 3 cups chopped carrots
• 2 cups cubed sweet potato
• 3 cups diced red pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme, or 1 tbsp fresh
• 6 cups of water, plus fresh bouillon (use 2 tbsp) or use vegetable broth/stock-or water and 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 cups of tomato sauce
• 2 1/2 tsp harissa (this is a spicy garlic sauce)
• fresh parsley for garnish and cashew sour cream (see post on cashew cream cheese, and simply thin more to create a sour cream)

Instructions:

1. Heat pan, add onions. If they stick, add a little water or broth to prevent burning. Cooking until translucent
2. Add in carrots, sweet potato, peppers, thyme, garlic, and cook until softened
3. Add in water, harissa, sauce and simmer for about 20 minutes until heated through, and flavors have blended.
4. Puree in Vitamix/blender or food processor until smooth.
5. Serve topped with fresh greens herbs like parsley or pea shoots and drizzled with some cashew sour cream (thinned out cashew cream). These can be served as demi tasse for a party as well. Shown below are soups I made as part of a final assessment for my Rouxbe Certification.

Nutritional Benefits:

•  Very low in calories, while being filling from fiber; 5.3 g; boosts digestive health, lowers blood pressure, increases satiety
• Virtually fat free, oil and cholesterol free; awesome for heart health and diabetes
• Packed with Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients
• High in potassium:658 mg; awesome for kidney and nervous system health, regulating blood pressure
• Packed with Vitamin C an antioxidant that boosts immunity and fights inflammation; 258% daily needs
• Packed with Vitamin A, an antioxidant that helps with skin, eye, bone, and dental health, as well as helping to lower blood pressure; 204% daily needs
•  6% iron, 5% Calcium; micronutrients needed for oxygenation of blood, and bone health

Moroccan Carrot Soup

 

Print

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Moroccan Carrot Soup: Made without oil or added fats. This soup is plant-based and gluten free and full of nutrients!

Author: www.gardenfreshfoodie.com and Vegetarian Times

Recipe type: Soup

Cuisine: Moroccan

Serves: 6-8 regular servings or 20 demitasse

Ingredients

• 3 cups finely diced onion
• 2½ tbsp garlic
• 3 cups chopped carrots
• 2 cups cubed sweet potato
• 3 cups diced red pepper
• 1½ tsp dried thyme, or 1 tbsp fresh
• 6 cups of water, plus fresh bouillon or use vegetable broth/stock-or water and 1 tsp salt
• 1¼ cups of tomato sauce
• 2½ tsp harissa (this is a spicy garlic sauce)
• fresh parsley for garnish and cashew sour cream (see post on cashew cream cheese, and simply thin more to create a sour cream)

Instructions

1. Heat pan, add onions. If they stick, add a little water or broth to prevent burning. Cooking until translucent
2. Add in carrots, sweet potato, peppers, thyme, garlic, and cook until softened
3. Add in water, harissa, sauce and simmer for about 20 minutes until heated through, and flavors have blended.
4. Puree in blender or food processor until smooth.
5. Serve topped with fresh greens herbs like parsley or pea shoots and drizzled with some cashew sour cream. These can be served as demi tasse for a party as well.

Notes

Based on 6 servings: 258% Vitamin C, 204% Vitamin A, 658 mg of potassium, 6% iron, 5% Calcium

Nutrition Information

Serving size: ⅙ Calories: 100 Fat: .5 g Saturated fat: 0 g Carbohydrates: 22.5 g Sugar: 11.7 g Fiber: 5.3 g Protein: 3 g Cholesterol: 0 mg

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