Showing posts with label healthy recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healthy recipes. Show all posts

Sunday, February 22, 2026

Chantenay Carrot Ginger Soup

This Chantenay Carrot Ginger Soup is made with small, sweet Chantenay carrots and lots of fresh ginger, garlic and yogurt, a warming bowl of goodness.

Food Lust People Love: This Chantenay Carrot Ginger Soup is made with small, sweet Chantenay carrots and lots of fresh ginger, garlic and yogurt, a warming bowl of goodness.

My older sister Tanya was a huge fan of cooked carrots, often cooking up a pot of sliced ones to serve as a side dish or frankly just to eat the whole lot as a meal. I must admit that I also cooked them as a side dish but way, way more rarely. Carrots had to be just about the last item in the vegetable drawer for me to choose them as a cooked side dish.

My younger daughter was even less of a fan than I was. When I would serve cooked carrots, I’d give her a few raw carrot sticks as her side. Hey, she was eating vegetables and since they weren't my favorite either, I completely understood. 

But soup? Soup changes everything. Sweet carrots roasted then pureed in delicious savory soup is perfect for rainy cold days, especially with plenty of warming fresh ginger. 

Chantenay carrots are a British-grown heirloom varietal known for their diminutive size and extraordinary sweetness. Originally cultivated in the Chantenay region of Northern France as far back as the 1800s - hence the name - they fell out of favor there in the 1960s when food production became increasingly mechanized. 

They are enjoying a resurgence of popularity in the UK now though. Whenever I see a bag in my local grocery store, I cannot resist buying some. They are so sweet and so cute! 

Chantenay Carrot Ginger Soup

If you can’t find Chantenay carrots, substitute seasonal local carrots from wherever you live. If the internet research can be believed, smaller young carrots are sweeter than larger older ones. This recipe is adapted from one on The Mediterranean Dish

Ingredients  
Extra virgin olive oil
1 lb or 450g Chantenay carrots, scrubbed
Fine sea salt 
Freshly ground black pepper
2 large garlic cloves
2 in or 4 cm knob fresh ginger
4 cups or 960ml vegetable or chicken stock, divided
1/4 cup or 61g Greek yogurt, plus extra drizzled for serving, optional
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Method
Preheat your oven to 375°F or 190°C and line a baking pan with a silicone liner or baking parchment for easy clean up. 

Peel and mince the garlic and ginger. 


Trim the roots ends off of the little carrots. 


Pile them in your lined baking pan and drizzle them with olive oil. Sprinkle on a few good pinches of salt and a few generous grinds of black pepper. 


Use your clean hands to toss the carrots around to distribute the salt and pepper and coat them with the oil. Spread them out in a single layer.


Roast the carrots for 20 minutes. 


Stir them around and roast for another 10-12 minutes or until they are fork tender and slightly caramelized. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.


When the carrots are cool enough to handle, place them in a blender along with the garlic, ginger and some of the broth. 


Puree until the mixture is smooth. Transfer the carrot puree to a heavy cooking pot.


Add the remaining stock to the blender and give it a swish so you don't leave any pureed carrots behind. Pour that into the pot. Place the pot on medium heat and bring it slowly to a low boil. 


Stir occasionally and cook for about 30 minutes or until it’s reduced slightly and the garlic odor has tempered.

Turn the heat to medium-low and stir in the yogurt and ground cumin. 


Cook till it's heated through then remove from the stove.

Transfer to serving bowls and add a few drizzles of yogurt to garnish, if desired. 

Food Lust People Love: This Chantenay Carrot Ginger Soup is made with small, sweet Chantenay carrots and lots of fresh ginger, garlic and yogurt, a warming bowl of goodness.

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing dishes cooked with root vegetables. Many thanks to our host Mayuri of Mayuri’s Jikoni. Check out the links below. 


 
We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.



Pin this Chantenay Carrot Ginger Soup! 

Food Lust People Love: This Chantenay Carrot Ginger Soup is made with small, sweet Chantenay carrots and lots of fresh ginger, garlic and yogurt, a warming bowl of goodness.

.
 

Sunday, February 15, 2026

Smoky Spicy Roasted Almonds

These smoky spicy roasted almonds are seasoned with cayenne and smoked paprika. They are super easy to make and perfect for snack time or happy hour.

Food Lust People Love: These smoky spicy roasted almonds are seasoned with cayenne and smoked paprika. They are super easy to make and perfect for snack time or happy hour.

I’ve been trying, at my doctor’s request, to up my protein intake and eat a bit more healthily. While the calorie count is rather high for almonds, most of it is from so-called “healthy fats” and they add fiber and protein to a balanced diet. At least, that’s what I’ve been reading! 

So, when our host for this week’s Sunday FunDay said that since tomorrow, 16 February is National Almond Day, today we should share almond recipes in celebration, I knew I wanted to make my new favorite snack. 

A lot of recipes for roasted nuts toss them in oil to get the seasonings to stick but I learned from my friend and fellow blogger Sue from Palatable Pastime, that egg whites do a much better job. Bonus: they add very few extra calories and the egg whites bake up dry so your nuts are lovely and crunchy. Thanks, Sue! 

 If you like smoky and spicy, these are going to be your new favorite snack too! 

Smoky Spicy Roasted Almonds

Regular paprika won’t do here. You need the smoked to impart that wonderful smoky flavor. Adjust the cayenne according to your preferred spice level. I use a minimum of a1/2 teaspoon!

Ingredients 
2 tablespoons egg white
2 cups or 300g whole raw almonds
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon (or more!) cayenne pepper

Method
Preheat your oven to 325°F or 163°C and line a baking pan with foil or a silicone liner for easy cleanup.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg white until it’s foamy to make sure it is completely broken down.  


In another bowl, combine the smoked paprika, salt and cayenne pepper. 

Toss the almonds in the egg white and stir them till coated. Sprinkle the spice mix on the almonds.


Toss lightly to season.


Spread the almonds out evenly on your prepared baking pan.


Bake in your preheated oven for 15 minutes. Take the pan out and give the almonds a good stir and separate any almonds that are stuck together. 


Bake for an additional 12-15 minutes or until lightly roasted. Watch closely towards the end of the cooking time to make sure they aren't getting too brown.


Cool in the pan. The almonds make a lovely crackling sound as they cool, which is fun. 

Serve immediately or leave to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

If you’re not going to eat them all within a week or two, store them in the refrigerator for up to three months or in the freezer for up to six months. This keeps them from turning rancid on you, as nuts can do.

Serve as a snack at happy hour with the beverage of your choice. It’s chilly right now so we aren’t drinking iced drinks but these also go down a treat with a cold beer or crisp white wine. 

Food Lust People Love: These smoky spicy roasted almonds are seasoned with cayenne and smoked paprika. They are super easy to make and perfect for snack time or happy hour.

Cheers! Happy National Almond Day. Enjoy! 

As I mentioned above, it’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing almond recipes. Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Cam. Check out the link list below. 

 
We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.




Pin these Smoky Spicy Roasted Almonds! 

Food Lust People Love: These smoky spicy roasted almonds are seasoned with cayenne and smoked paprika. They are super easy to make and perfect for snack time or happy hour.

.