Two Kid Friendly Soups - Carrot Ginger and Creamy Tomato

Making the commitment to change your eating habits to Clean Cooking requires time and self-discipline - two things that many of us are lacking. Add to those difficulties by throwing in fussy children and the whole thing may seem too daunting to tackle. 

Fortunately, my girls are young enough to believe me when I tell them that the store no longer sells the junkfood that once sat on our shelves (awe, the innocence!). But meal times prove to be more difficult. My 3 year old requests pasta for every meal and Cheese Monster requests - you guessed it - cheese. I am not denying them either pasta or cheese but part of my clean challenge is to limit our dairy intake and increase vegetables and whole grains into our diet. The easiest way I have found to do this with very young children is soup. I have always made a lot of soup and there are some my girls just won't go near (Wild Mushroom and Barley) but Carrot-Ginger and Cream of Tomato are two soups they both adore. Go veggies!!

Both soups have a bit of cream added to them at the end. You can lesson the amount if you are avoiding dairy but everything in moderation is my rule of thumb.

Carrot and Ginger Soup

1 medium onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 1/2 Tablespoons Ginger, finely chopped

1 Teaspoon garlic, finely chopped

2 lbs (1 kg) carrots, chopped

4 1/2 cups (1060 ml) vegetable or chicken stock

1/2-3/4 cup (118-175ml) heavy cream (crème entiere)

Sauté onion and celery in olive oil over medium heat until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté another 2 minutes before adding the carrots. Sauté carrots 2 minutes and then add the stock. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, covered, for about 30-40 minutes until carrots are soft. Puree the soup with an immersion blender. Add the cream while puréeing. 

Cream of Tomato Soup

2 Tablespoons butter and a swig of olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 35 ounce (800g) cans of tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried basil (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
4 cups of vegetable or chicken stock (or 4 cups water + organic bouillon)
1/2 teaspoon Allspice**
1 cup of Heavy Cream (Crème Entiere) or more to taste

Melt the butter in the oil in a large pot. (The oil prevents the butter from melting) Add the onion and carrot and sauté over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté another 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and basil and bring the mixture to a simmer for 5 minutes. Add the stock and allspice and return the soup to a simmer. Cover pot and gently simmer for about 45 minutes. Purée the soup with an immersion blender and add the cream. 
Voila!

**Allspice is very easy to find in the US but I have never seen it here (although Google Translate just told me it is quatre-épices so I will look for that!) You can also order it on amazon.co.uk. It is very important for this recipe (not saying it won't be good without - it will just be different)