Carrot and Coriander Soup is a beautiful, healthy and delicious soup, scented with coriander seeds.
Carrot and Coriander Soup (vegan)
At some point in your life, you or someone you know will probably be on a liquid or soft food diet for a short period of time. Whether it’s a child who just got his braces, a teenager who had her tonsils removed, or in my case, a son who had four wisdom teeth extracted yesterday, coming up with healthy soft foods requires a little bit of thinking.
When I brought my son in to see the oral surgeon earlier this week, I had no intention of scheduling his surgery this week. But, once I realized the recovery period was going to be close to five days, we decided to book it for this week while my son is on winter break (I agree, not the most fun way to spend your vacation, but there’s never a good time to have your wisdom teeth pulled).
The nurse told me to stock up on yogurt, ice cream, Jell-O, pudding, and white bread since my son wouldn’t be able to eat anything for at least a few days. She also said I should feed him some “real food,” like overcooked pasta. You should have seen my son’s face and mind spinning as he absorbed what he had just heard…if I could read his mind, I’d bet he was thinking, “Wow, this is awesome, I actually get to eat junk for a few days and I’m being told I have to!”
Little did my son know what I had in mind for him. After all, when my youngest son got his braces a few months ago, I made soft foods for him like Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal , and when my oldest son’s friend had her tonsils removed last summer, I made some Creamless Cream of Mushroom Soup and Creamless Cream of Carrot Soup. I’ve also made a wide assortment of pureed soups, smoothies and frozen treats for friends who’ve undergone chemotherapy or had thyroid surgery. And, over the years, I gathered a nice collection of soft food diet ideas when I cooked for my father-in-law who had Parkinson’s disease.
Although I thought I was prepared for feeding and taking care of my 16-year-old after I brought him home after his procedure, I really wasn’t as prepared as I should have been. I gave him some pudding when he first got home, but I quickly realized that he was having a lot more trouble eating than I expected (try swallowing when you can’t feel anything in your mouth), so I started thinking of soft foods that I could make that packed more nutrients into each bite. All this to think about on top of the fact that my son was a little crabby (can you blame him?) and didn’t want to eat anything twice in the same day.
So, here’s what I made yesterday for my son:
- Banana smoothie – peaches and mangoes would be good too, but no berries because of the seeds
- Chinese steamed eggs (made with chicken broth)
- Mango ricotta pudding (1/2 cup low-fat ricotta, 1 cup mango, and honey to taste, blended until smooth)
- Chocolate tofu pudding
- Tuna fish sandwich (tuna, low-fat mayo, onion powder, salt and pepper, mixed until no lumps remain; spread on white whole wheat bread, crusts cut off)
Which brings me to today’s recipe. The only thing I made in advance was this Carrot and Coriander Soup and some plain congee. I had chosen this recipe to try for this week’s 50 Women Game Changers In Food event, even before I knew my son was having his wisdom teeth pulled this week. So, making this soup was very timely. I “veganized” this soup recipe by substituting coconut oil and coconut milk for the butter and creme fraiche called for in the original recipe. So, not only is this soup vegan, but it is also healthier since it has no cholesterol (plant-based foods are naturally cholesterol free).
So, will my son be getting his “junk fix” this week? Yes, to some extent, but I also will be making him fruit smoothies, pureed soups and other soft foods that I hope will keep him feeling satiated and well nourished.
This carrot and coriander soup is from Delia Smith, the UK’s best-selling cookery author (she has written over 20 cookbooks), with more than 21 million copies sold. Delia Smith is an English chef, author and TV personality, best known for her no-nonsense style of teaching people basic cookery skills.
She started working in a small restaurant at the age of 21 as a “washer-upper” before becoming a waitress, and eventually helping with the cooking. In 1969, Delia became the cookery writer for the Daily Mirror’s new magazine, and later, married their deputy editor. Starting in 1972, and for the next 12 years, she wrote a column in the Evening Standard. Delia’s cookery television show Family Fare (1973-1974) brought her fame, and lead to 14 additional television cooking series (1974- 2010). In 2001, Delia launched her website, Delia Online, which houses an incredible archive of her recipes and serves as a forum for contributors to share their recipes.
I will be serving this carrot and coriander soup to my family today (with a swirl of coconut milk and sprinkling of ground coriander, but without the toppings for my son whose mouth is still extremely tender).
Carrot and Coriander Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 pounds carrots about 14-16 whole carrots, peeled, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
- 1 small clove garlic crushed
- 6 cups low sodium vegetable stock
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons coconut milk
- fresh cilantro for garnish, optional
- toasted pumpkin seeds optional
Instructions
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Dry roast coriander seeds in a small frying pan over medium heat until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Crush in a mortar and pestle.
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Heat coconut oil in a soup pot. Add carrots, garlic and 2 teaspoons crushed coriander seeds. Stir carrots well, then cover pot and let vegetables cook over medium-low heat until they begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Add stock and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes, partially covered, or until vegetables are tender.
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Let soup cool slightly, then puree in blender or food processor.
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Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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Ladle into serving bowls and garnish with swirl of coconut milk, fresh coriander, pumpkin seeds, and remaining crushed toasted coriander seeds.
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My own daughter just had her wisdom teeth taken out a as well. She has her fiancé to take care of her and make lovely soups.
What a wonderful soup – I love carrot and coriander – very British! your photos are gorgeous!
Mary x
I, too, have cooked for a number of people who needed soft or easy to swallow foods; a beautiful soup is the perfect food and such a welcome gift! This one is healthy and inexpensive to boot. I love carrot soup! Great pics.
Awwww….what a doting mama 🙂 This soup sounds amazing either veganized or “original”. Plus, it’s absolutely stunning – the colors and the swirls! Beautiful, Jeanette.
You are amazing, Jeanette, will you be my mother? 😉
But seriously, your soup looks amazing, love the bright color!
That’s a great looking soup even for those of us who can chew. I have heard of Delia Smith, but have never made any of her recipes. I will have to check out her website.
If I could have you around to nurture me, I’d have MY wisdom teeth out again just to have some of that soup delivered with love! What a great post, J! You get the mommy points for the week, as far as I’m concerned! Your boy’s a lucky guy!
A good cold tomato soup can also do the trick, though I know lots of kids that can’t stand cold soup.
wow i love all these soft food ideas! heeeheee you son should have already guessed that you had a healthy recipe roundup in mind for him! 🙂 pureed soups are the best. the steamed egg dish is also a korean dish too!
What a vibrant soup, this is just gorgeous!
We always scheduled oral surgery for school breaks. Poor kids! This is a winning soup and I would have made it for them – nice to know I still can. I have been using coriander more and more in 2012.
Your son is so lucky to have a mom who is not only a great cook, but also a very caring person!
Your son is so lucky to have a mom who is not only a great cook, but also a very caring person!
The picture is beautiful!
My whole mouth hurts just thinking about having 4 teeth pulled, so I hope your son is feeling a little bit better today. For sure he is getting good nutrition, thanks to smoothies and this wonderful soup.
This soup is good for anyone anytime. Lovely photos and presentation as usual.
Oh, this post made me smile… I recently overheard the exact same ‘dietary advice’ following wisdom tooth extraction at a dental office: jello, ice cream, etc. I thought, geez, has nothing changed over the past several decades?! Lol. Meanwhile, all foods can be pureed we’re just not accustomed to this approach – (I often recommend this for senior clients as well). Gorgeous soup Jeanette – as well as your other ideas. I’ll have to circulate this among my dental hygiene friends :).
Jeanette, What a delicious looking soup! You have come up with some pretty great sounding food to keep your son happy! Hope he is feeling better…I remember when my daughter had hers wisdom teeth out…she was so sick from the pain meds they put her on! Very nice post!
Yikes, all 4 wisdom teeth in one surgery must have been horrible. I had 2 of mine taken out within a week’s span and I could handle that because I was scared of undergoing surgery for all 4 (and also because I was getting married in a couple of days :D) I can imagine how crabby your son would’ve been! Hope he’s feeling much better now and recovers completely soon! This is a great soup choice and I think the flavor profile is just so yummy! Beautiful pictures!
What a gorgeous soup! And you’ve made some smart healthy changes in it as well. Hope your son is feeling better….not fun to have wisdom teeth pulled!
I’ve never had to be on a soft food diet…yet! But this is a great resource and I love the soup recipe.
I bet he loved this soup. It looks absolutely delicious and I would love a bowl now for lunch. I never heard of Delia Smith and your group sounds like lots of fun:)
I hope your son has made it through the procedure with as little discomfort as possible. You certainly have foundsomewonderful dishes to feed him. The soup sounds delicious and it is absolutely gorgeous to look at. Thecolor is amazing. I hope you have a greatday. Blessings…Mary
Thanks Mary – he’s still not feeling very well, so I hope in another day or two he will be back on his feet. Thankfully, I have a lot of experience making soft foods, so it hasn’t been as difficult to figure out foods he can eat.
i’m on a liquid diet as well, and just like your son I had (one in my case) wisdom tooth pulled out. it HURTS!!!
I bet this soup would fill my tummy.
Oh you poor thing. My son is still having trouble eating. I just gave him this soup last night and he was pleasantly surprised by how flavorful it was. Instead of the garnishes, I sprinkled some of the ground toasted coriander seeds on top. Been making lots of soft foods for him. The steamed eggs work really well.
Absolutely beautiful. You’re such a good mom! I sure your son appreciates all that you do, even if he is getting a little less ice cream than he originally had hoped for!
I have never heard of her either. I love this series. I get to learn about accomplished people that I otherwise may have never known.
Thanks France. Hoping one day my son will appreciate all the healthy foods I’ve tried to feed him.
looks and sounds awesome!!
I am so sorry about your son, poor thing…wishing him quick healing 🙂
This is a wonderful soup and a great write up on Delia Smith!
Thanks for your well wishes…he is doing much better, still on a semi-soft diet, but feeling a lot better thankfully.
When my brother got his wisdom teeth pulled he was certainly not fed this many nutrients by my mother! I am in LOVE with this soup! Another one to add to my burgeoning list.
Ha ha Joanne! If only my son realized how much I have tried to help him eat healthy during this time. One day…
This soup looks fabulously delicious and I love the coconut milk swirl. You can come cook things for me all day long if I ever have dental surgery!
Hopefully you won’t need dental surgery anytime in the near future! Wish you lived closer so we could get together and cook for each other.
Jeanette, this carrot and coriander soup looks so delicious! What a wonderful warm and hearty soup for these cold winter days we’re having. Thanks for sharing. You have a lovely blog and I’m so glad to have found you!
Thanks Georgia – so glad you stopped by for some soup and more!
I don’t like carrot soup, its one of the few soups I can pass by. But I want to like it, I really do.. I keep coming back to various recipes and trying it again. Carrot soup is so healthy! I think this one might be a winner though! I love soups made with coconut milk. And the cilantro and pumpkin seeds look like a fantastic addition to the soup. I’m saving this recipe to try sometime soon!