Inspiration for this outstanding soup came to me courtesy of the VeggieBelly blog. One look at her mouthwatering photos will inspire any cook to try a delicious recipe from her collection. This soup really appealed to me, and I only made one modification to make it dairy-free. I subbed the low-fat milk with nondairy creamer, and I used less than what the recipe called for; instead, I used more stock. My soup came out more orange-colored, but that’s because I didn’t realize that I had no celery, so instead I put in a couple of carrots. LOVED it! And the chimichurri was the perfect complement to the sweet soup. I served it with whole-grain toast points. This recipe is a real winner. Enjoy!
Roasted parsnip soup with fresh herb and caper chimichurri
2 parsnips, chopped, about 2 cups
2 carrots, chopped
1 leek stalk cleaned and roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
A splash of white wine
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
3 cups stock (vegetable or chicken)
1 cup nondairy creamer
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Scrub the parsnips clean and chop them into small cubes. Toss with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until they are golden (about 20 minutes).
While the parsnips are roasting, heat a large pot with 1 tablespoon olive oil. add the carrots, leeks, garlic, and bay leaf. Cook on medium-high until the leek has softened a little – about 5 minutes. Now add the oregano and wine and cook for another minute until the wine bubbles and evaporates. Add the turmeric and the stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
Add the roasted parsnips and the creamer to the stock. Place in a blender (or use an immersion blender) and puree into a soup – as thick or creamy as you like.
Warm through before serving. Adjust seasoning as needed, but don’t forget you’ll be topping the soup with the chimichurri, which is salty.
Chimichurri
1 cup fresh parsley leaves roughly chopped
2 tablespoons fresh oregano
capers – 1 1/2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon of the brine
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine
1 tablespoon water
1 garlic clove
pinch or two of crushed red pepper
salt to taste
Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend into a coarse paste.
Soup makes 4 servings.
Awarded to me by 
