so, i’m trying something new this year. well, new to me, anyway. not exactly revolutionary, but sometimes tried-and-true is better than the latest fad (shout out to my fellow luddites!).
what am i doing, you ask? well, hang on to your hats because here’s what i’m doing: i’m writing down my goals for the year and how i’m going to get there. (::gasp!:: i know, right… i’m rolling my eyes at myself for how obvious this is.)
there are one thousand and one tips, articles, podcasts, etc. out there on how to “make this your best year yet!” and “be your best self!” and “conquer your to do list, once and for all!”. to save you the suspense of reading all of those articles, here’s what it boils down to:
- figure out what you want
- figure out how to get there
- write it down
- do it
it sounds so simple and yet… tackling #3 is a first for me this year, #2 isn’t always super clear, and if we’re being honest, #1 can be a bit fuzzy at times too. all of which makes #4 a jumbled mess, best case.
so this year, 2017, i’m figuring where i want to be at the end of this year then working backward to figure out how i’m going to get there, using a frame work of choosing 3 guiding words. and i’m WRITING IT ALL DOWN! craziness. i have big hopes that all of this will make actually *doing it* easier(/possible).
in the spirit of transparency (aka proving that i wasn’t lying about actually writing it down), my three words this year are abundance, action, and growth. under each of those guiding words, i’ve broken down more specifically how i’m going to apply those words this year across different dimensions of my life. right now, i have all of the requisite january enthusiasm for this whole thing; we’ll see how i’m doing come december (or march, if we’re being honest)…
what does all of this have to do with carrot ginger tofu soup? absolutely nothing, if we’re continuing our streak of being honest. sure, i could spin something up about how i’d always wanted to make a really delicious and healthy carrot ginger soup and used my new “action” word to get ‘er done.
but what actually happened was that i came across this recipe flipping through the “free” cookbook that came with my crazy expensive blender (that i do love!), thought it sounded good (and easy!), made it, liked it, made it a bit differently next time, liked it better, wanted to share it with my recipe-loving internet family. like i said at the beginning, sometimes tried-and-true (see recipe, make recipe, change recipe) works best…
do you have goals/intentions/guiding words, etc. for the new year? share in the comments, if you like. i’m curious!
carrot ginger soup
Save to BigOven Ingredients
- 2 medium (260 g. / 9 1/8 oz.) carrots, thinly sliced into 1/8” (0.3 cm) coins
- ½ small (50 g. / 1 3/4 oz.) yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled, minced
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon diced fresh ginger (from a 1 ½” / 4 cm piece)
- 210 g. (7 3/8 oz. / 1 cup) extra firm tofu
- 2 cups (16 fl. oz. / 480 ml) low sodium chicken broth (use vegetable broth if you want the soup vegan/dairy free)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- heat the oil in a medium (nonstick) skillet over medium-low heat. add the carrots and sauté for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the smaller slices of carrot are soft (the large ones won’t be completely soft yet). add the onion and sauté for another 6 minutes, again stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent (the carrots might be starting to turn golden brown by now; if they are browning too much, you can add a splash of the broth to the pan). add the garlic and stir constantly for one minute.
- transfer the carrot mixture to a blender or food processor. add the ginger, tofu, and broth. blend/process on high speed until the soup is completely smooth (see notes for blender safety tips!). pour into bowls and serve immediately, sprinkled with cilantro and tofu croutons (see notes).
Notes
blender safety tips: when blending hot liquids, don’t fill the blender beyond the max fill line (halfway, if it’s not marked). start on low speed and increase to high speed to avoid setting off a molten soup volcano. if your blender lid doesn’t vent steam, take out the center piece of the lid, put the rest of the lid on the blender, and hold a double layer of clean (about to be soup splattered) kitchen towel over the vent hole so that the steam can escape.
(gluten free) tofu croutons: if you buy a normal (425 g. / 15 oz.) size package of tofu, you’re going to have some leftover from the soup. i recommend making tofu croutons to scatter across the top of the soup once it’s blended. preheat the oven to 400° F. dice the tofu into crouton sized cubes. line a baking sheet with foil and give it a spritz/swipe of oil (tofu likes to stick). coat the tofu cubes in a teaspoon or two of oil and bake, turning once, until golden on all sides. if you cut the tofu into cubes the size of dice, this will take about 15 minutes; if you cut bigger croutons, it could be more like 25 minutes. i prefer the smaller cubes but it’s up to you what you like. scatter across the soup once you’ve ladled it into bowls.
Nutrition Facts
carrot ginger soup
Serves: 3 - 4
| Amount Per Serving: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 153 | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat | 0 | |
| Saturated Fat | 0 | |
| Trans Fat | ||
| Cholesterol | 0 | |
| Sodium | 0 | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 0 | |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 | |
| Sugars | ||
| Protein | ||
| Vitamin A | Vitamin C | |
| Calcium | Iron | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
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