On a recent visit to La Table de Nana's blog, I saw a pure and creamy Cauliflower Soup topped with Spiced Pear Chips. If heaven made soup, this is what it would look like. I was still thinking about it's beauty when a friend posted on Facebook that she was making Curried Carrot soup. A match made in heaven (again!) came to mind. I used my friend's recipe as a jumping off point and made a velvety carrot soup with almost no fat, and packed with vibrant vitamin rich vegetables. I thought apple would be a taste that could balance the curry and spice, and it did. I used a cinnamon-ginger-cayenne spice on the apples and deepened the color with paprika. The next day I took some to work for my St. Thomas trip, and added shredded chicken to it. It was a full well balanced meal in a bowl. Taking a bite, as we flew through the clouds, I did feel a little closer to heaven. ♥ 
Thanks Monique and Anne for your inspiration!Curried Carrot Soup
2 tablespoons canola oil
12 ounces carrots, thinly sliced
2 cups sweet potatoes, cut into ¼ inch cube, about 1 medium
1 cup chopped onion, about 1 medium*
3 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1-1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and finely diced
1 teaspoon good quality curry powder (or more to taste)
4-5 cups chicken broth
pinch of cayenne
salt to taste
In a large skillet, heat canola oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, sweet potato, onion, ginger and celery and saute until soft. Stir in curry powder and add cilantro. Add 4 cups chicken broth and stir thoroughly. Add the cayenne and salt to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes until all of the flavors have combined. Using an immersion blender or food processor, puree until smooth. Add more chicken broth, if needed until desired consistency is reached.
Makes 6-7 cups or 4-1 ½ cup servings.
Garnish with Gingered Apple Chips.
*To slice onions without tears, light a candle nearby.
Gingered Apple Chips
1 large Granny Smith apple, washed with stem left on
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of cayenne
Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine ginger, paprika, cinnamon and cayenne together in a small bowl. Slice the apple into slices about 1/16 inch thick. Place the apple slices in a single layer on the parchment lined sheet. Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over the apples. Place a layer of parchment paper over the apples and put another baking sheet over it to weigh it down. Put in preheated oven for about 30 minutes. Check after 10 minutes to see how fast they are baking, by carefully lifting the paper. The apples on the edge bake faster than the ones in the center. Bake until they start to dry around the edges. Carefully lift the parchment off slowly being careful the apples don't stick to the top layer. Continue baking for about 15 minutes longer, until they are just golden, dry and crisp.
Curried Carrot Soup recipe, click here
Gingered Apple Chips recipe, click here