Quick Carrot Soup

It seems like I have this idea every winter but not much ever comes of it-- I decide to make more soups. They're economical, generally healthy and make great leftovers. Usually I make a soup as the main dish, but this time I decided to have a soup as the vegetable with dinner. This carrot soup comes together in about 5 minutes of prep and cooks for only 20 minutes. It's very carroty tasting so if you like carrots you'll like this soup. You can vary the herbs you sprinkle in at the end depending on your taste or what else you're serving at dinner. Plus it's a not your typical vegetable side dish and is really vibrant orange color and very cheery on a cold winter day. Recipe after the jump.

Quick Carrot Soup
Serves 4-5 as an appetizer
Adapted from French Women Don't Get Fat*

1 lb. (450g) carrots
1/2 T. butter
1 T. fresh chopped parsley or dill or any herb you like
salt and pepper to taste

- Slice carrots into 1/4 in. (1/2cm) thick rounds. Place in a soup pot and add water to just cover the carrots. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes or until carrots are tender.

- Use a stick blender (if you've got one) to puree the soup or carefully transfer it in batches to a blender and puree (making sure to remove the vent in the lid and cover it with a kitchen towel or silicon potholder so steam can escape) and then return it to the pot.

- Stir in the butter, herbs and salt and pepper to taste and serve. You could add a dollop of sour cream to make it a bit more fancy if you'd like.

*Ok- yes, I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I got this book from the library but I did and it's actually really reasonable and has a lot of very sensible advice and recipes.