We are also now deep into the season of orange food. Pumpkins**, squashes and beta carotene riddled root vegetables are piled in perfect pyramids in produce sections and headlining on seasonal menus everywhere. Seemed as good of a time as any to get crazy with some carrots. This recipe was actually inspired by a recipe for pan-roasted carrots with Chimichurri sauce in the latest issue of Martha Stewart’s Living magazine combined with the Soup Au Pistou we posted awhile back. It combines the sweetness yet also savory flavor of carrots with the bright tangy-ness of the garlic and lemon juice in the sauce to make something really different and special while also being super easy. So easy in fact – if you can make a smoothie – you can make this soup.

Now if you’re not familiar with Chimichurri sauce – it’s an Argentinean  garlicky, herb sauce that’s a lot like pesto. Authentic Chimichurri sauce would include red wine vinegar because it’s often served over beef but because we eat it with vegetables or tofu (that are cooking in and have less grease and fat than beef) – we use lemon juice to replace the acid in our recipe. We’ve found it keeps the brightness of the sauce without over-whelming the flavors of the vegetables.

Chimichurri Carrot Soup

Carrot Soup

7 cups vegan chicken broth or vegetable broth, we recommend using Better Than Bouillon

1 pound bag of carrots, scrubbed but not peeled and ends cut off

1 14oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

2 cloves garlic, minced

Sea Salt and Crushed Black Peppercorns to taste

Chimichurri Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

juice from 1 lemon (should be a little less than 1/3 of a cup)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh oregano

2/3 cup fresh parsley

2 pinched crushed black peppercorns

1 green onion, diced

Bring your broth to a boil over a medium heat in a large soup pot. Slice your carrots into very thin coins. Once your broth has come to a rolling boil, reduce heat to a simmer and toss in all your soup ingredients except the salt and peppercorns. Let simmer for 15 minutes.

While your soup is simmering, make your Chimichurri Sauce by tossing all the sauce ingredients into a food processor and pureeing it for the count of 10 or until it makes a pesto like consistency.

Once your soup has simmered for 15 minutes, use an immersion blender to puree your carrots in the soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender you can use a food processor or blender and puree your soup in batches.

Serve your soup hot with 1-2 tablespoons of Chimichurri Sauce over the top. Before you eat – mix in your sauce to get the full flavor.

*And a few recipes for animals like BEARS – which I’m 100% sure nature never intended us to eat.

** Can we all stop and GASP at this article about the Great Pumpkin-Fest Riots of 2014 in New Hampshire? This is not a joke folks… even if the tweets about it are hilarious.