Spiced Carrot Soup with Herb Tahini

Carrots are not my favorite vegetable and so when we receive them in our CSA I want to incorporate them into recipes in a way that makes them flavorful but also has layers of flavor. This spiced carrot soup with herb tahini did just that and allowed us to use some of our other CSA ingredients from this basket as well. I used what I had on hand for the herb tahini but I think any combination of herbs would taste good in this recipe. The celery greens and parsley blended well into the nutty flavor of the tahini and the spices in the soup itself helped to tone down the sweetness of the carrots. 

Recipe from Vegetarian Ventures, herb tahini slightly adapted. 

Ingredients:

For the Soup:

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-1 onion, diced

-2 celery stalks, diced

-1 pound carrots, diced

-2 garlic cloves, minced

-2 teaspoons chili powder

-1 teaspoon smoked paprika

-1 teaspoon dried oregano

-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

-2 cups vegetable broth

-1/2 cup 1% milk

-salt / pepper to taste

For the Herb Tahini:

-1/2 cup tahini

-1/2 cup celery greens chopped

-1/4 cup parsley chopped

-1 garlic clove peeled

-1/2 teaspoon cumin

-1 teaspoon salt

-2 tablespoons lemon juice

For garnish:

-Sesame seeds

-Parsley, chopped

-Chives, chopped
-Thinly sliced hakurei turnips, optional

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots, and salt. Saute for 5-7 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. Next, add the garlic, chili powder, paprika, oregano, and cayenne pepper and saute for another 30 seconds.

Add the vegetable broth and 3 cups of water. Bring the soup to a boil and then lower the heat to allow the soup to simmer for 30 minutes or until all of the vegetables are soft.

Remove from the heat and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Stir in the milk and season with salt and pepper.

Serve topped with the herb tahini with sesame seeds, parsley, chives and thin hakurei turnip.

For the herb tahini:

While the soup is simmering combine the tahini, celery greens, parsley, garlic clove, cumin, salt, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup water in a food processor. Puree until creamy and smooth.