Getting the jump on soup season...

I recently got an email from the wonderful health food store in Burlington, Healthy Living Market. In the email,there was a luscious-sounding recipe for a zesty carrot-ginger-coconut soup that I just HAD to try. Not surprisingly, it was DELICIOUS! As fall is nearly upon us, I encourage you to add this recipe to your cozy soup repertoire.

Carrot Coconut Ginger Soup
(Healthy Living Market, Burlington, VT)

2 tablespoons canola oil (I needed three for extra veggies)
*recipe seems to be missing onions here--I used one very large
1 medium leek, trimmed and chopped (I used two)
3 cloves garlic, minced (I used five)
5 medium carrots, peeled and sliced (I used six)
1 medium (to large, starchy) potato, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
4 cups vegetable stock (I like Better-than-Bouillon)
1 14 oz can coconut milk
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
*I like a squirt of sriracha, too, for a little kick!
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped for garnish, optional

Heat canola oil in a medium sized soup pot (five quart works well). Add onions and sauté until softened. Add leeks and garlic, sauté for another 4-5 minutes, stirring. Do not let brown. Add carrots and continue cooking until carrots start to caramelize. Add potato, ginger, stock, and coconut milk. Bring to a gently boil and allow to boil for 5 minutes. Reduce heat, add paprika and turmeric, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer on low until potatoes are cooked through, about 20 minutes. Puree until smooth using an immersion blender or in batches in a countertop blender. Garnish soup with minced cilantro, if desired.

*When all was said and done, my soup seemed to want for a little more creaminess. If I had another can of coconut milk, I would have used that. Instead, I doused it with about a cup of half-n-half, and that did the trick!

Ok, so my roommate is the sort that won't accept just soup for dinner (even fabulous, homemade soup!), so I also threw together a couple of gyros--that is to say, I assembled them, but I did not really *make* them. I bought whole wheat pitas, wrapped them in foil, and heated them in the oven. I bought--yegads--Tyson roasted chicken strips and heated those in a saute pan. I cut up a very ripe tomato and thinly sliced some red onion. I filled the pitas with the chicken, tomato, and onion, and I topped it all off with the fabulous Cedars' Tzatziki (cucumber and garlic). A fake-out "recipe," but very tasty, and though a mixing of ethnic cuisines, a stellar sidecar to the carrot-ginger-coconut soup.