Strawberry salad and creamy carrot soup

Strawberry salad and creamy carrot soup.

The great thing about having a local farmer's market is that the produce is wonderfully ripe.

The down side? I end up shopping about every other day because I have to eat whatever I buy within a couple of days or it goes bad.

The strawberries I picked up on Saturday were starting to be over ripe.

Strawberry salad with strawberry balsamic vinaigrette and goat cheese.

My default lunch dish has been soup and salad recently. I think it is the easiest way to get in tons of vegetables without having to feel like every meal is a grazing fest. 

Creamy carrot soup.

Creamy carrot soup

Serves 3

Ingredients:

4 carrots, chopped

1/2 cup of sweet potato, chopped

1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 Shitake mushroom, minced

2 cups of water

1 cup of sodium free chicken broth

1/2 cup of coconut milk

1 Tbsp of dehydrated onions

1/2 tsp of sweet paprika

1 pinch of tumeric

1/2 tsp of garlic powder

1/4 tsp of chili paste

1 pinch of nutmeg

black pepper to taste

Instructions:

In a sauce pan combine the spices, water and broth and set the pan on medium high heat. Chop all of the vegetables and add to the pan. Bring everything to a brisk boil and then turn the heat down med-low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Then take the soup off the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Using an immersion blender (be careful of any splatter) and blend until smooth. Then add in the coconut milk and stir. At this point do a taste test and adjust the seasonings to your liking.

Enjoy!