A frugal, organic recipe from…
Mountain Community Coop, Eatonville, Washington

Carrots As You’ve Never Experienced Them!

For all the nutritional bang carrots pack, their nickname should be Orange Gold. They serve as nature’s toothbrush when eaten in their raw, crunchy state, and have a natural sweetness when cooked. They are full of beta carotene and phytochemicals, those nutritional powerhouses that fight the aging process, cancer, and other diseases. One raw medium carrot packs 7900 IU (International Units) of Vitamin A and one cup cooked carrots equals 15,000 IU (the adult RDA is 4000-5000 IU). Cooking carrots breaks down their cellulose, which our bodies can’t fully digest when raw. That’s why we get more vitamin A from cooked carrots than uncooked. And what do we do with Vitamin A? It’s great for vision, especially for helping to see at night. If you want the night vision of Batman, eat more carrots, perhaps starting with this carrot soup.

Did you know? “Baby” carrots are created by tumbling and shaving regular-sized carrots into miniature versions of their former selves. Because most of the nutrition is just below the surface, a regular-sized carrot that is washed or lightly peeled is more nutritious than a “baby” carrot.


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“Creamy” Carrot Soup

This carrot soup is a perfect, toe-warming main dish that’s simple to make and that uses root vegetables—carrots, potatoes, onions, and sweet potatoes (optional)—that are in abundance at garden harvest time. A version of this recipe by nutrition expert Liz Neoporent first appeared in Runner’s World Magazine. All of the ingredients of “Creamy” Carrot Soup are available at Mountain Community Coop. While it tastes sinfully creamy, this soup is low in fat and high in nutrients. Paired with a salad and perhaps a good crusty bread, it will fill you up and make you feel virtuous all at the same time.

Ingredients
2 onions, chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-lbs of carrots, scrubbed and lightly peeled (or baby carrots, optional)
2 15-oz cans vegetable or chicken broth or 30 ounces of water with two vegetable or chicken bouillon cubes
3 large potatoes, diced into cubes (some may be sweet potatoes)
1 pint plain nonfat yogurt
8 oz soft tofu (silken tofu is preferred but firm works, too)
nonfat sour cream and chopped cilantro or parsley for garnish

Directions
In a large nonstick soup pot, sauté onions, celery and garlic for 3 to 5 minutes over medium-high heat. Stir in carrots and add the broth. Simmer 15 minutes. Add potatoes, lower heat to medium-how and cook 15-30 minutes until soft. Remove from heat and add yogurt and tofu. Puree with a hand-held mixer or wand. Heat through and serve immediately with a dollop of low-fat sour cream sprinkled with cilantro. Serves 8 to 10.

Note: This forgiving recipe accepts many substitutions. You can use beef broth or vegetable bouillon instead of chicken broth, and sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. Feel free to experiment and to let every batch offer its own variation. One option is to use red onions and two finely chopped leeks, seasoning lightly with onion salt and pepper at the end.