Turmeric Carrot Apple Soup | dolly and oatmeal

happy 2017! i hope you all had a wonderful beginning to the new year :) frank and i made our yearly tradition of mole sauce, except this year we kinda cheated by using a starter! basically it had all the spices, chiles, and nuts/seeds all ground up and made into a paste so that all we had to do was add sautéed tomatoes, some stock, and salt! somehow it still took 2 hours to make in between soothing our babe, playing with him, stopping to feed and change him, all that good stuff ;) i also took some time to reflect a bit on the past year. it was grand in so many ways. having my cookbook published, being pregnant and having a baby! in many ways it was the most fulfilling year, but also super rough as well. there were quite a few personal hurdles, the emotional suck of the presidential election and its outcome, and the curious world of hormones post-baby. it's been an interesting year to say the least.

when i was about 2 1/2 months postpartum i began waking up with pretty bad joint pain in my fingers, and enough back pain where it was hard doing much of anything with amesy aside from sitting down with him. so, in an effort to combat the pain and inflammation, and my weakened immune system (i hadn't had a cold in about 2 years, but have had 2 colds in the past 3 months!) i began increasing my intake of turmeric. most recently i made turmeric paste which i add to smoothies, teas, warm nut milk, soups, etc. there are a lot of recipes out here for it, but the one i made was a simple blend of ground turmeric, water, black pepper, and coconut oil, which i really love. it's soothing and pungent in all the right ways. some days are better than others, but the pain i was experiencing in the morning has eased significantly and my back is definitely on the mend. in my experience, food has always been the best medicine and while i’m not saying it’s a cure-all for everything, it is always my first go-to in order to heal and repair my body.

i've been meaning to share this soup with you all for quite some time. i made and shot it 3 days before i delivered amesy knowing that i would welcome a warm, replenishing bowl upon coming home from the hospital. as life would have it, it was the last dish i made before having him, and the first thing i ate after having him, so it's a bit of a sentimental recipe to me.

this soup is definitely one of my favorites flavor-wise. i make a version of this with winter squash each year but decided to swap the squash for carrots. the carrots make for a more subdued sweetness and a thinner consistency which is a nice change. mixed together with the tart apple and the earthy turmeric, makes for a beautiful flavor that only gets better the longer the soup sits and the flavors marry. i hope you all enjoy it as much as i do :)

big love to you all for your continued support of this space throughout the years. i hope we continue to grow together in 2017! xo

turmeric carrot apple soup | v & gf

| makes 4 servings |

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large apple (honeycrisp or another tart apple), peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 pounds carrots, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
1 bundle thyme, tied with string
1/2 cup unsweetened cultured coconut yogurt
sea salt and fresh pepper, to taste

method

heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. add the onion and apple and cook until both are soft, about 6-8 minutes. add the garlic, turmeric, and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. then add the carrots, stock, and thyme and bring it all to a simmer. cover and cook until the carrots are tender, about 20-25 minutes. remove from heat and let the soup sit for 10 minutes.
remove the thyme bundle and carefully blend the soup in a blender or food processor. add the yogurt, season with salt and pepper, to taste. then blend it once more.
transfer the pureed soup back to the soup pot and bring to a simmer. serve soup hot and garnish with toasted pecans, drizzled oil, and thyme sprigs (optional).