Coconut Carrot Soup

With an abundance of carrots, I was challenged to find a recipe to use some up yesterday.It was a cool rainy day which very much says 'soup' to me.
I found this recipe and doubled it.
Everyone, including one family member who is not so keenon soups loved it. In fact, he went back for more...a couple of times!
As always, the picture from the recipe looks better than ours (must work on that!)...but the taste was great!



Ingredients

3 Tbsp	Harvest Organic Coconut Oil
450 g	Carrots, peeled, chopped
1	Apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1	Onion, chopped
2	leeks, 1 chopped, 1 thinly sliced
2	Garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbsp	finely grated peeled ginger
1 pinch	Salt and pepper
4 cups	vegetable or chicken broth
400 ml	unsweetened coconut milk
0	Red chilli paste, (for serving; optional)

Instructions:

1. Heat 1 Tablespoon of Coconut Oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add carrots, apple, onion, chopped leek, garlic, and ginger, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often until vegetables are beginning to soften.
3. Add broth, coconut milk, and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are very tender. Let cool slightly.
4. Working in batches, puree soup in a blender until smooth.
5. Heat remaining 2 tablespoon of Coconut Oil in a small pan over medium-high heat. Add sliced leek and cook, stirring often, until golden and crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain; season with salt.
6. Serve soup topped with chilli paste and crispy leeks.