Carrot Soup

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

5 lbs chopped carrots (1 cup set aside)

2 qts. chicken stock (Preferably homemade — Recipe in Nourishing Traditions found on page 14)

2-3 Tbsp olive oil

salt to taste

pepper to taste

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp parsley chopped (set aside some whole sprigs for garnish)

sour cream (to serve with)

In a large pot, sauté 1 cup of carrots with the onions and celery in the olive oil until the aromas blend (about 7 minutes). Add remaining carrots, chicken stock, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Boil until the carrots are soft. Add parsley and cook for 5 more minutes.  Puree the soup in a blender. It should have a creamy and thin yet stable consistency, reheat. Serve with sour cream and a parsley leaf.

Note: you can make this recipe with butternut squash but keep the 1 cup of carrots to sauté. You can also add spices such as nutmeg or cloves to this variation.