Moosewood Carrot Soup

• 2 pounds peeled or scrubbed, chopped carrots
• 4 cups stock or water
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 medium potato, chopped (optional, for heartier soup)
• 3-4 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1-2 small cloves crushed garlic
• 1/3 cup chopped cashews or almonds
• 1 cup milk, or 1 cup yogurt or buttermilk plus a little honey, or 1/2 pint heavy cream, or3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 pinches of nutmeg, 1/2 tsp dried mint, dash of cinnamon; or 1 tsp each of thyme, marjoram and basil; or 1 tsp grated ginger

Place carrots, liquid and salt (and potato if you are using it) into a medium sized soup pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer it for 12-15 minutes. Let it cool to room temp. Saute the onion, garlic and nuts in the butter until the onions are clear. You can sprinkle in a little salt to help draw the moisture out of the onions. Towards the end of cooking, stir in the seasoning combo of your choice. Puree everything together in a blender until smooth, or put the sauteed onions, garlic and nuts into the pot with the cooked carrots and use an immersion blender to puree. This soup will last about a week refrigerated. Add in one of your dairy products right before eating! Garnish with toasted nuts, some toasted bread crumbs or eat just as it is.