Rice is used as a thickener in this winter soup. For a cozy touch, serve it in mugs; it’s a blended soup and can be eaten without a spoon.

Directions

In a large saucepan, sauté the onion in oil for five minutes. Add the carrots and sauté an additional minute.

Add the water with chicken soup mix and rice. Bring to a boil. Lower flame; cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until carrots and rice are tender (if using brown rice more time is needed).

Cool slightly. Blend with a hand blender until smooth.

Add the whipping cream if desired, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Heat through but do not boil. Garnish with pareve sour cream (see photo) if desired.

Tips:

You can substitute soy milk for the whipping cream, but be very careful not to overheat it or the soup will curdle. If you have walnut oil, use it in this soup. It makes a world of a difference.

Notes:

For dairy soup, use cooking cream (10%–15% fat) in place of the whipping cream. It is out of this world. No need for heavy cream (38% fat) at all.