As I tore through the new Smitten Kitchen cookbook, the foremost question on my mind was "what will I make first?" Then, I encountered her recipe for carrot soup, asking for exactly the one pound of carrots I had left from the CSA Fest from last month, and knew it was meant to be. This would let those carrots shine like they ought to do, and I would get to make something new from this book!

Planning!

Really, this was a no-brainer. I had the carrots, I had the couscous, I had the will, and I had the heart. This was happening. It's just good luck that it's been FREEZING out there, and my soul and belly want soup. Perfect timing.

Here's the nutritional breakdown from Fitbit...

Groceries I had on hand...

• olive oil
• garlic
• onion
• carrots
• cumin
• paprika
• cinnamon
• ginger
• saffron
• chicken broth (from the pot pie I made the day before!)
• salt
• sambal oelek (she calls for harissa, but I prefer sambal)
• couscous

Groceries I had to buy...

• red bell peppers (the grocery store was almost out, so it went like this: red peppers... 1.98lb @ $2.49lb = $4.93 + orange peppers... 0.36lb @ $3.99/lb = $1.44 = $6.37)
• lemon (1 @ 5 for $2 = $.40)

Total monies spent for the entire recipe: $6.77

Total monies spent for each of these 4 meals....

$1.69 per meal.

Cooking!

This is, as advertised, a very easy soup to make. Following the directions was a breeze. I was able to prep each round of vegetables in the time it took to soften the round that had just gone into the pot. It is fragrant and makes the kitchen smell like heaven. I love a little bit of saffron... it goes such a long way.

Here are the photos...

This soup is DELISH! I thought the peppers might overpower the carrots, but it is so carrot-forward and well-balanced all around. I skipped the parsley garnish, but did absolutely do the squeeze of lemon, which took it exactly up the level I'd hoped it would.