Cream of carrot soup with green peas and garlic croutons

I've always liked the combination of carrots and peas and I wanted to make a creamy soup that would use both. Having made before cream of peas, I remembered how the soup was filled with those little pesky peels from the peas (say that fast three times!) and that was something I did not particularly enjoy. You could always strain the soup but I don't like the idea of throwing away something that is actually very beneficial to you. So, I thought of making a cream of carrot soup and adding the boiled peas, whole, at the end. My kids really loved it and that is the highest form of compliment possible to me (especially as they are not crazy about the idea of soup, in general). I hope you like it as much as we did!

Ingredients (serves 6)

- 1 large onion, minced

- 6 large carrots, sliced

- 3 potatoes, diced

- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

- 1 teaspoon cumin

- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne

- 1 cup almond milk  (or more, to taste)

- salt and pepper, to taste

- 1 cup frozen green peas

- garlic and olive oil croutons (read recipe here)

Heat the olive oil and sauté the onions until translucent. Add the carrots and potatoes and cook for 5 minutes longer, stirring often. Add the spices, cook for one minute then add enough water to cover the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and allow to simmer, covered, until carrots are tender (about 25 minutes). Remove  soup from heat and, using an immersion blender (or any other blender available), purée the soup. Return to heat and gradually add in the almond milk. Taste and adjust seasonings.  Meanwhile, boil the frozen peas in a little bit of water, until tender. Laddle the soup into individual bowls and top with some boiled peas and croutons. Enjoy!