Creamy Carrot Chipotle Soup (It's Dairy-Free!)

A minimum of ingredients and an absence of dairy make our creamy and spicy carrot soup both healthy and easy to make on a whim. and below: Cafe Drake HRV warmed ourselves on a recent cold afternoon with a bowl of Creamy Carrot Chipotle Soup along with Cilantro and Jalapeno Chicken Salad.

Begin by heating 2 T. vegetable oil (canola, olive, grape seed etc) over medium heat in a large saucepan. When the oil is hot, add and saute until just soft: 1 lb. peeled and chopped carrots (cut on the smaller side for faster cooking), 1 large, chopped onion, 1 small peeled and diced potato and 2 dried chipotle chile peppers. You don't need to pre-soak the dried chilies but it's best to break them open before adding to the pot and rinsing out the annoying seeds. When the onions have softened but not yet turned brown, add about 2 t. coriander seeds or 1 t. ground coriander powder, 1 t. cumin powder and 1 t. dried oregano. Saute for a minute or two before adding 4 cups vegetable stock (or water or chicken stock) and bringing to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover pot and cook gently for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat, allow soup to cool slightly and then puree very well in a blender. It make take a couple of minutes but the texture should resemble liquid velvet when ready. Return soup to pot, season generously with salt and black pepper and reheat over a low flame before serving piping hot. Optional delightful garnishes include tortilla chips (or fried tortilla strips), croutons or a sprig of cilantro. Naughty cooks might even serve with a dollop of sour cream!

Note: if you don't have dried chipotle chilies in the pantry but DO find yourself with the canned variety, feel free to substitute.