Roasted Carrot and Red Pepper Peanut Soup

Women‍‍`s Corner
December 15, 2020

Roasted Carrot and Red Pepper Peanut Soup healthy easy, blender soup that's naturally vegan, gluten-free, comforting, and hearty!

Ingredients :

- 1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped into about 1 1/2-inch chunks

- 1 very large or 2 medium red bell pepper, deseeded and sliced into 4 to 6 large wedges

- 2 tablespoons olive oil

- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, or to taste

- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

- 14-ounce can coconut milk

- 1/2 cup peanuts (unsalted, salted, plain, honey roasted or your favorite type) or 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

- 1 1/2 tablespoons agave, maple syrup, or honey, optional and to taste

- optional seasonings - any used are to taste - red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, chili powder, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, garlic powder, onion powder, curry powder, paprika, smoked paprika

- optional additional vegetables to roast with the carrots and peppers- garlic, onions, sweet potatoes, potatoes, squash, pumpkin, zucchini, beets, turnips, parsnips

Method : Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with Silpats, parchment paper, aluminium foil , or spaying sheets with cooking spray; put aside . Peel and chop the carrots into about 1 1/2-inch chunks, keeping them approximately an equivalent size in order that they cook evenly; place carrots on one baking sheet. Quarter the pepper, or slice it into 5 or 6 large wedges, noting that the pepper must be sliced and kept much larger than the carrots because it'll shrink in size by nearly half when roasted and if sliced too small to start with, it'll simply char. Place pepper slices on the opposite baking sheet.

Evenly drizzle vegetable oil over top of vegetables and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Roast for about 40 minutes, or until carrots are fork tender and have browned and caramelized; peppers are going to be soft, limp, and blackened round the edges. I didn't bother flipping the vegetables midway through cooking but you'll flip them if desired. To the canister of a Vita-Mix or blender, add the coconut milk, roasted vegetables, peanuts or spread , and blend until smooth and creamy or leave this soup a bit chunkier and with some texture retained as desired. The soup is sort of thick and hearty and made be thinned with additional coconut milk, vegetable stock, or a splash of water if desired; I didn't thin it out because we prefer thicker soup.

Taste the soup and wait five minutes before seasoning it, and if desired season to taste (The reason for waiting is because you'll think it needs something but your tastebuds may adjust after a couple of minutes. Adding a pinch of salt and pepper to every individual’s bowl before serving also works instead of salting the entire batch). Optionally before serving, garnish with finely diced peanuts or other nuts or seeds, a dollop of spread , soured cream , yogurt, finely diced red peppers or grated carrots, a drizzle of coconut milk or copra oil , olive oil, fresh herbs, salt and pepper. Soup will keep for up to five days in an airtight container within the refrigerator or are often frozen for up to three months.