Wednesdays are my favorite day of the week to cook because I have more time since I work from home. Over the last few months, I’ve even created a series on Instagram featuring all the dishes I’ve prepared on these “wifey #workfromhomewednesdays.”

Working from home right in the middle of the week allows me a chance to wrap up meal planning for the rest of it. I can whip up a big batch of something in the slow cooker in the morning or at lunch time and have it be ready for dinner, or I can get dinner started earlier once I’ve clocked out, because I save time by not having to drive home through the parking lot that is Atlanta traffic.

A few weeks ago, the work from home Wednesday feature was an easy-to-prepare curried carrot soup since Jis requested soup for dinner. We love soups because they typically have a lot of delicious and healthy vegetables and spices.
That’s certainly the case for this curried carrot soup, aside from the coconut milk that the original recipe requires.

A few years ago for Thanksgiving, I came across this vegan carrot-coconut soup recipe on The Spruce because I was determined to contribute to our family Thanksgiving feast. I tried it out at home first and Jis and I both loved it, and when I prepared it for family they fell in love with it as well.

The only issue I have with making soups is sometimes they don’t come out in the creamy smooth texture you see at restaurants or in the picture, but upon making it twice this past month with the right tools and right level of coconut milk, I can say the right consistency was achieved.

But I needed to lower the fat content.

I tried to do this once by using light coconut milk,  since coconut milk is known for being loaded with saturated fat, but I’m sorry to say the light version just didn’t create the right texture, so I had to add the real stuff. Then, I finally chose to use yogurt, and that was the sweet spot. As with other soups and Indian dishes I’ve made, using fat-free plain yogurt can work just as well as cream to lighten up a dish with strong flavors.

If you use regular nonfat plain yogurt, you should be fine. But if you use nonfat plain Greek yogurt like I did, use a smaller amount because Greek yogurt has a strong taste itself. Once blended together, if you find that the taste of Greek yogurt is overpowering, you can balance the soup out again by adding a little bit of brown sugar, which is what I did.

Don’t forget that all the beta-carotene-rich carrots in this recipe along with the biotin make this a beautifying soup full of biotin and vitamin A that promote healthy skin, hair and nails.

So by substituting nonfat plain yogurt in place of the coconut milk, I give you the low-fat, vegetarian version of Jolinda Hackett’s original recipe.

Vegetarian Curried Carrot Soup 

Recipe

Adapted From The Spruce

Ingredients

• 2-3 large carrots, chopped small
• 1 onion, chopped small
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 3/4 cup vegetable broth
• sea salt, to taste
• 1 14 ounces can coconut milk (if you want it vegan)

OR

• 10 oz nonfat plain yogurt

OR

• 6 oz nonfat plain Greek yogurt (if you want it low-fat and vegetarian) 

• brown sugar, to taste, if needed to balance out the flavor of Greek yogurt

Method

1. Simmer the carrots, onions, ginger and curry powder in vegetable broth for 20-25 minutes, until carrots are soft.
2. Allow to cool slightly, and then puree in a blender, working in batches if needed.
3. Return to heat and stir in coconut milk or yogurt until well combined.
4. Season generously with sea salt, to taste. Serve.