Breakfast of Champions (in the fight against winter!)

When I woke up this morning to sounds of a howling wind and the sight of the needle on the outside thermometer way too far below 20 degrees F I resolved to conjure up some soup for lunch.  By the time I stumbled back into the warm house after a brief, and very chilly, run I was looking so forward to a carrot ginger creation that I decided to get started right away (ah, the benefits of one more week of vacation!).  Soup for breakfast-- a no-fail defense against stubborn winter!

Soup for Breakfast! (plus avocado toast)

Creamy Carrot Ginger Soup

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
sea salt
1 lb. carrots, sliced (thickness can vary; thinner slices will just require less cooking time)
5 cups water*
2 tsp Seitenbacher vegetarian vegetable broth powder*
1 bay leaf
1 15-oz. can white beans, drained and rinsed
2 T nutritional yeast (optional)
1 T ginger juice (grate a piece of ginger and squeeze to get juice)
juice of 1 small lemon
2 tsp. white miso, dissolved in a little bit of water
sea salt to taste
Baby greens (kale, chard) for garnish

*Or substitute 5 c premade vegetable broth (or a combination of water and broth)

Instructions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add onion and celery with a pinch of sea salt and saute until the onion is soft, about 2 to 4 minutes.
2. Add the carrots and stir well.  Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add the water and broth powder (or broth) and the bay leaf.  Raise heat to high and bring to a boil.
4. Lower heat and simmer, covered, until the carrots are very tender (about 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the thickness of your carrot slices).
5. Add the beans and nutritional yeast, stir well, and allow to simmer for a few more minutes.
6. Remove the bay leaf.
7. Puree the soup in the pot using an immersion blender (or, alternatively, carefully transfer to a blender-- you will probably have to do this in batches-- to puree and then return to the pot).
8. Add the ginger juice, lemon juice and miso and stir well. **Make sure not to boil at this point since doing so may inactivate the miso's healthful enzymes.
9. Taste for seasoning-- add more salt (or you could add more miso) as needed.
10. For added color, serve garnished with some baby kale and/or chard (fresh herbs would also be a nice touch).