coconut curry carrot + sweet potato soup

oh boy, that's a mouthful. literally. this soup is tasty, tasty, tasty. really, it had me at curry. i made this soup for a dinner party over the weekend and it certainly did its job of opening up the evening on a high note. we paired this soup course with a sparkling wine and the flavors melded smoothingly well. not only is this a great dish for entertaining as it can be made well ahead of time, it is superb for any regular ol' evening spent on the couch in your sweat pants.

>> vegan coconut curry carrot + sweet potato soup <<

ingredients

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
5 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-2 inch chunks
3/4 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 Tbsp mild red curry paste
1/2 Tbsp curry powder (optional)
dash of cayenne pepper to taste (optional)
2/3 cup red lentils
6 cups low sodium vegetable stock (can use chicken as well)
1 14oz can light coconut milk
Salt and pepper

instructions

preheat oven to 400 degrees. line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. add the carrots and sweet  potato chunks to the pan. toss with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and roast for 30 minutes or until tender and beginning to brown.

meanwhile, in a large pot over medium heat, add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. add the onion, and ginger and saute until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. add the garlic, a dash of salt and pepper, spices, and curry paste. saute for two more minutes. next add the stock and red lentils and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are tender. 

once lentils have tenderized, add the coconut milk, roasted carrots and sweet potato to the pot and simmer for another 15-20 minutes. next, transfer pot contents in batches to a blender to puree until smooth. i skipped this step and used our handy, dandy immersion blender right in the pot instead. it worked beautifully (this is one wedding gadget that gets a lot of use in our house). season to taste with salt and serve.

makes 4-6 servings.

recipe adapted from meal planning 101. thanks kindra for your foodspiration.