I've sung pureed soup's praises before, and I'll sing them again: few foods are more satisfying, nourishing, and leftovers-friendly while still allowing room for experimentation and intrigue. This Middle Eastern spiced carrot soup is no exception. Creamy without using cream and garnished with all matter of excellent nibbles, it's the sort of soup that is worthy of a light meal in and of itself.
A quick word on the garnishes: I know what you're thinking: four components for one soup . . . isn't that a hair excessive? The short answer is no. Spiced chickpeas, a tahini-lemon dollop, dukkah, and parsley make the soup the lovely dish it is by providing loads of textural and flavor contrast, while adding minimal time and effort to the recipe.
Perhaps you've tried 
That said, it is very good — as in ditch your dinner plans and make it tonight good. I can say with absolute certainty that I'll be making it at any appropriate opportunity I can conjure — for starters, I can think of no better Super Bowl party treat — and suggest you follow suit. Treat yourself!
January may be National Soup Month, but every day in my household is its own 
And to answer the burning question: yes, this soup was everything I wished for and more. Well-balanced, velvety smooth, and aesthetically appealing thanks to a swirl of za'atar oil, this tangerine-hued winner will be entering my soup rotation for months to come. I urge you to adopt it into your fold as well.
So allow me to present to you the YumSugar Chipotle Chili recipe hack, which was made in our office using a single electric stove-top burner and a nonstick soup pan. We tortured our co-workers with this dreamy clove-and beer-scented chili bubbling in the kitchen for hours, as the starches in the beans broke down to create a thick, unctuous mixture. Finally, the moment had arrived for the taste test.
When it comes to weeknight dinners, I'm an unabashed soup fan. Sure, it might take slightly longer to simmer up than a pot of pasta, but by and large it's a hands-off affair, and few foods soothe the soul better after a hectic day. 
Smooth, creamy (without being heavy), and subtly sweet, this iteration will be entering my rotation throughout the Fall and Winter months, and I encourage you to do the same. 
Francophile alert: if 
Not too surprisingly, flipping through the pages of pithy prose and detailed instructions provided ample inspiration — one could easily 
I'm an unabashed lover of all meaty treats. Succulent duck confit, planks of unctuous bone marrow, quivering pork belly: I greedily devour them all. That said, I think of these deeply savory foods as the punctuation to my everyday diet rather than the staples. An average day finds me spooning up oatmeal, munching on nuts, and supping on salads of zesty tomatoes and burrata cheese. 
Some might describe my predilection to limit my meat consumption as flexitarianism; I prefer to think of it as practical, because, as tempting as it is, a diet based on meat is far from environmentally sound (or nutritionally balanced for that matter). It came as no surprise that I was drawn to Arthur Potts Dawson's new cookbook, 
, a beautifully photographed tome bolstering the movement to eat less meat.
While many of the recipes contained within its pages are vegetarian-friendly, others are liberally garnished with beef, bacon, or salty anchovies. Dawson may be an outspoken ambassador for the oft-forgotten fruits of the garden, but is quick to mention that he too enjoys the occasional steak. Rather than focus on the asceticism of a vegetable-based diet, his cookbook celebrates the vast variety of foods spouting forth from the garden, and many dishes would appeal to all but the most staunch carnivore. 
The heat wave has (sort of) made its way to San Francisco, and for the first time in longer than I can remember, I am craving fresh, raw produce. After making three batches of scones last week, I've surpassed my dairy quota and sought a way to make a creamy, satisfying chilled soup, sans cream or milk. 
Summer corn is sweet and tender when eaten raw. To make use of its seasonal height, I juiced corn kernels and made a milky soup starter. When blended with avocado, this soup develops a thick creaminess, plus the avocado imparts a mighty green hue. The salsa garnish provides a contrasting crunch, and the lump crab meat is a salty little bonus (however, it's also easy to leave out for vegetarians). All in all, the recipe is quick to prep and serve, keeping you and your kitchen cool when it's boiling outside. See the recipe for the 
