Orange and Ginger Carrot Soup

This recipe is courtesy of @bambigoesgreen on Twitter.

This warming and tangy soup has a really pretty muted-orange glow, and has just a touch of spice. I’m a big fan of lively soup! Be sure to try this recipe with organic carrots, potatoes, onions and celery, as their flavor is so much better than those grown on industrial farms.
Organic root vegetables like these are considered seasonal no matter where you live, and are found easily in health food stores and plenty of grocery stores, too. Choosing organic oranges is especially important when you make an orange zest, so as not to ingest the surface pesticides found on industrially-grown orange skin. Nothing good about pesticide soup, folks!

Ingredients:
1 oz onions, chopped
1 lb or 4 medium carrots
2 sticks celery
4 oz potatoes, chopped
1 pint stock/water
1-2 tbsp grated ginger
juice of 2-3 oranges
zest of ½-1 organic orange
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil to sauté
small slice of butter (optional)

Method:
1. Rough chop onions. Scrub and rough chop carrots, celery and potatoes.
2. Saute onions and celery in oil in the bottom of a large saucepan. After a few minutes add carrots, and continue to sauté until onions are beginning to go pearly. Stir occasionally to avoid burning.
3. Stir in the potatoes, then add enough water to cover the vegetables by a couple of inches.
4. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender.
5. Add the orange juice, zest (if using) and grated ginger.
6. Blend the soup.
7. Add more stock/hot water/orange juice to achieve desired thickness.
8. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, bouillon powder and a little butter.