If you’re friends with me on Facebook – you know that Dan and I are moving right now and if you live in NYC you know that this is a big deal.

When I was very small (not even sure what age) I remember going to a historical reenactment type of place with my parents in St.Louis where they had pioneer wagons and other ‘Gold Rush’ themed stuff. They had this big set up where you could ‘pan’ for ‘gold’ in a fake stream. I was too young to do it but I remember watching how frustrated everyone was and thinking about that later when we learned about The California Gold Rush in Jr. High. I mean if a bunch of middle class kids were losing their minds trying to find fake gold between eating hot dogs and riding a ferris wheel – it made me think those real-life half-starved 49-ers must have been a pretty intense bunch for lack of a better adjective. Of course, maybe people were more patient then. Maybe they felt a little less entitled and saw finding a single nugget as a gift not a given. Why do I bring this up?

Because if you have ever looked for an apartment in NYC – you know it is hell. I actually saw an apartment with no sinks – just pipes with the promise of sinks. Dan and I visited one in Manhattan that had a help alert button system set up throughout the apartment and print stains on the floor where stacks of newspapers probably lived. In my book these are clues for negligent landlords and potential ghosts. But then we found a really spacious (for NYC) two bedroom with an awesome kitchen*in Boerum Hill. And the best way I can describe how I feel is:  Blessed like a 49-er with a pan full of sunny gold dust.

But that means our current kitchen in full of boxes. Some stuff like the waffle iron and ice cream maker are already packed and ready to live in our new home. But our immersion blender is still out and about.

I haven’t always been a fan of cold soups but The South American Corn & Quinoa Summer Stew we made back in 2011 changed my mind. Recently our friends Joel and Brittany went to Morocco and I am still very jealous. In an effort to appease my green eyed monster – I checked out Moroccan restaurants in Brooklyn and the carrot soup on almost every menu caught my eye. Sadly the carrot soup in these restaurants had chicken stock in it. So I made my own and tweaked it a bit so it’s best at room temperature – making it a splendid summer soup!

MOROCCAN CARROT SUMMER SOUP

July 29, 2013

Servings: 4 to 6

Difficulty: easy

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By: Annie

Ingredients

• 3 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL
• 1 LARGE RED ONION, DICED
• 3 CLOVES GARLIC, MINCED
• 1 POUND ORGANIC CARROTS, SCRUBBED AND DICED
• 4 CUPS BETTER THAN BOUILLON VEGAN CHICKEN BROTH OR VEGETABLE BROTH
• 1/4 TEASPOON GARLIC POWDER
• 1/4 TEASPOON PAPRIKA
• 2 TEASPOON CUMIN
• 1/4 TEASPOON ALL-SPICE
• PINCH OF TURMERIC
• CRUSHED PINK HIMALAYAN SALT TO TASTE
• DICED GREEN ONIONS AND CRUSHED BLACK PEPPERCORNS TO SPRINKLE OVER THE TOP

Directions

• Step 1 In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat Olive Oil and Onion over a medium heat. Using a large spoon mix your Oil and Onions until your Onions are completely coated. Cook until your Onions begin to get tender. Then toss in your Garlic and Carrots mix again to make sure your Carrots are lightly coated in hot oil. Then add the remaining ingredients except Salt, Green Onions and Peppercorns and mix with your spoon.
• Step 2 Bring your soup to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for 10 minutes or until your carrots are tender. Keep in mind the smaller you cut your carrots the faster they’ll cook. Once your Carrots are tender, turn off your stovetop and remove your soup from heat. Then using either an immersion blender or a food processor, blend your soup until it’s creamy and smooth. If you’re transferring your soup to a food processor – be careful – soup is hot and once it’s blended it doesn’t just look like lava.
• Step 3 Once your soup is blended, cover and let sit out for 15-20 minutes or until it reaches room temperature. You can also out it in the fridge if you like your soup chilled.
• Step 4 Serve with a pinch of diced Green Onions and crushed Peppercorns on top.

*YES! We’re going to have a working oven!