Roasted Carrot Soup with Tillamook Greek Yogurt

I'm learning that this time of year is a little crazy here in Colorado. One day it is a bright, sunny 70 degrees and the next brings piles of wet, heavy snow. I kind of love it. I'm a winter girl who loves being cozy in the house with something delicious cooking on the stove or in the oven. But I also get to the point where vitamin D is a necessity. And it must be in the form of beautiful, hot rays of real live sunshine.

Spring in Colorado also means that crazy hot weather is not far behind. Last year it was far too warm to use the oven in our house. (We have a tiny swamp cooler that barely keeps half of the house at a comfortable temperature.) So, I'm trying to get all the oven time that I can under my belt before it's too much to bear. This means baking buttermilk drop biscuits, Irish soda bread, and roasting lots of vegetables. This soup was the result of a big sheet pan of carrots, onions, and garlic that I drizzled with honey and roasted for about an hour. Everything was perfectly soft and golden brown with a honey glaze that gave a subtle sweetness to offset the rich roasted flavor.

I simply took the roasted vegetables and tossed them in a pot with some chicken stock (just like I do for my Butternut Squash & Coconut Soup). After it all simmers together for about 10 minutes, I take my immersion blender and transform it into a creamy, luxurious soup that is perfect with a dollop of creamy Greek yogurt and a few fresh thyme leaves. It's just so. darn. easy.

Can we talk about Greek yogurt for just a moment? I love it. I eat it pretty much every day. So when I got the chance to get a first taste of Tillamook's new Farmstyle Greek Yogurt I was thrilled. I used the 0% Farmstyle Greek for topping this soup and it is creamy and rich and has no hint of being fat free. Check out my Instagram feed for more photos of the flavors I'm trying. They've all been such a treat! My favorite so far is...wait for it...CINNAMON HAZELNUT. Perfect.

Tillamook is a well-known brand. I probably don't have to tell you how delicious their cheese is...right? You've had it, right? RIGHT? If you haven't you're going to need to fix that. STAT. Since they are new to the Greek yogurt scene, here are some delicious details...

About Tillamook Farmstyle Greek Yogurt

·         Tillamook Farmstyle Greek Yogurt is made with no artificial flavors, no artificial colors, no artificial sweeteners, no high fructose corn syrup and with the highest quality milk from cows not treated with artificial growth hormones.

·         Tillamook Farmstyle Greek is a thick, creamy and less tart yogurt made with buttermilk cultures, while providing 14g of protein per serving.

·         To make their better tasting Greek distinctively ‘Farmstyle’, Tillamook slow churns farm fresh milk with seven active yogurt and buttermilk cultures.

·         Tillamook Farmstyle Greek Yogurt is made with fruits and nuts locally sourced from the Pacific Northwest

·         To find out where to buy Tillamook Farmstyle Greek Yogurt readers can use the handy ‘Where to Buy’ tool - http://www.tillamook.com/where-to-buy.html?product=yogurt&variety=all&size=all&zip=

Roasted Carrot Soup with Tillamook Greek Yogurt

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch rounds
• 1 large yellow onion, cut into wedges
• 1 head of garlic, cut in half crosswise
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Farenheit.
2. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
3. In a large bowl, toss the vegetables with the spices, honey, olive oil and a bit of salt and black pepper.
4. Spread the vegetables onto the baking sheet in a single layer. If you need to, use two baking sheets so the veggies aren't crowded.
5. Roast the veggies for 45 minutes-1 hour or until nicely softened and golden brown. Stir every 20 minutes to ensure even cooking and to avoid burning the honey.
6. Take the garlic and squeeze the cloves out into a soup pot. (To make sure the garlic skin doesn't make it into the pot, squeeze the cloves into a separate bowl first, then transfer to the pot.)
7. Add the rest of the vegetables and the stock to the pot and place over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
8. Use an immersion blender and blend until the soup is nice a smooth. Alternately, you can work in batches, pureeing the soup in a blender. Be very careful as hot liquids may explode out the top of the blender.
9. Add the lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
10. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and top with a dollop of Greek yogurt and some thyme leaves.

Baked Eggs, Rainbow Chard + Yogurt

Rainbow chard has been the most surprising thing I've grown this summer. I've cut it down and frozen a good portion to use in soups and stews this winter and it just keeps growing back with a greater yield each time. I basically have chard coming out of my ears. As a result, I've been scouring my cookbooks looking for new ways to feature greens in simple dishes that I can have for a quick, healthy lunch. This recipe for baked eggs came from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi and it has changed everything. About lunch, that is.

Most days, lunch consists of odds and ends from the refrigerator. That's not always terrible, but sitting down to a proper meal like this one is infinitely more fulfilling. Taking a few quite minutes to enjoy delicious, nourishing food is something I take for granted and really shouldn't. This meal reminded me of that, with it's comforting flavors and luxurious textures.

One of the greatest parts about this meal is how easy it is. The greens (I used rainbow chard but you can use anything- Ottolenghi calls for arugula) are simply sauteed in olive oil, then the eggs are tucked into the greens and baked until just set. The magic really happens with the addition of garlicky yogurt and melted butter infused with chili flakes and paprika. It is truly a perfectly balanced, delicious meal.

Baked Eggs, Rainbow Chard & Yogurt

Ingredients

• 4 cups rainbow chard or greens of your choice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 6 sage leaves, shredded

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the chard and saute until wilted and most of the liquid evaporates.
3. Transfer the chard to an ovenproof dish or skillet and make 4 holes for the eggs.
4. Break an egg into each hole.
5. Bake for about 15 minutes or until the whites are set. Watch them carefully because the eggs will go from not done to over done very quickly.
6. Meanwhile, combine the yogurt, garlic and some salt. Set aside.
7. Melt the butter in a small saucepan and add the red pepper flakes and smoked paprika.
8. Cook until the butter is infused with a nice red color and just begins to foam.
9. Add a pinch of salt and the sage. Remove from the heat.
10. Remove the eggs from the oven and top with a dollop of yogurt and drizzle with butter.

*Recipe barely adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi