Moroccan Carrot Soup With Chermoula

Yields 6 servings | Prep time 15 minutes | Cook time 25 minutes

Saffron can be costly, but just a pinch will give you a huge bang of flavor for your buck. Here it lends a luscious, exotic taste to the naturally sweet carrots.

Soup Ingredients

• 2 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt, plus more to taste
• 3 lbs. carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• Pinch red-pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. saffron threads
• 6 cups Magic Mineral Broth, plus more if needed (or use store bought)
• 2 1/2 tsp. Meyer lemon zest (regular lemon zest is fine)
• 1 tbs. freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice, plus more if needed (can substitute 2 tsp. lemon juice plus
• 2 tsp. freshly squeezed tangerine or orange juice)
• 1/4 tsp. dark maple syrup

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and sauté until golden, about four minutes. Stir in the carrots, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, red-pepper flakes, saffron, and 1/4 tsp. salt.
2. Pour in 1/2 cup of the broth and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the remaining broth and another 1/4 tsp. salt and cook until the carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.
3. Put the lemon zest in a blender. Begin adding the soup in batches, each time adding some of the soup’s broth first and then some of the vegetables. Purée until smooth, adding more broth to reach the desired thickness.
4. Return the soup to the pot over low heat, stir in the lemon juice, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt, and gently reheat. Taste; you may want to add another squeeze of lemon, a pinch of salt, or a drizzle of maple syrup.
5. Serve with chermoula as garnish. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days or in the freezer for up to three months.

Tip: The carrots in this warming soup deliver a big shot of beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant.

Chermoula

Yields 1 1/4 cup | Prep time 5 minutes | Cook time 0 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro or basil leaves
• 6 fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor until well mixed.

Reprinted with permission from Clean Soups, copyright by Rebecca Katz with Mat Edelson, 2016. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Photographs © 2016 Eva Kolenko.

Why No Numbers? Readers sometimes ask us why we don’t publish nutrition information with our recipes. We believe that (barring specific medical advice to the contrary) if you’re eating primarily whole, healthy foods — an array of sustainably raised vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, meats, fish, eggs, whole-kernel grains, and healthy fats and oils — you probably don’t need to stress about the numbers. We prefer to focus on food quality and trust our bodies to tell us what we need.  — The Editors