Carrot and Coriander Soup Recipe (2024)

Carrot and Coriander Soup is a beautiful, healthy and delicious soup, scented with coriander seeds.

At some point in your life, you or someone you know will probably be on a liquid or soft food diet for a short period of time. Whether it’s a child who just got his braces, a teenager who had her tonsils removed, or in my case, a son who had four wisdom teeth extracted yesterday, coming up with healthy soft foods requires a little bit of thinking.

When I brought my son in to see the oral surgeon earlier this week, I had no intention of scheduling his surgery this week. But, once I realized the recovery period was going to be close to five days, we decided to book it for this week while my son is on winter break (I agree, not the most fun way to spend your vacation, but there’s never a good time to have your wisdom teeth pulled).

The nurse told me to stock up on yogurt, ice cream, Jell-O, pudding, and white bread since my son wouldn’t be able to eat anything for at least a few days. She also said I should feed him some “real food,” like overcooked pasta. You should have seen my son’s face and mind spinning as he absorbed what he had just heard…if I could read his mind, I’d bet he was thinking, “Wow, this is awesome, I actually get to eat junk for a few days and I’m being told I have to!”

Little did my son know what I had in mind for him. After all, when my youngest son got his braces a few months ago, I made soft foods for him like Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal , and when my oldest son’s friend had her tonsils removed last summer, I made some Creamless Cream of Mushroom Soupand Creamless Cream of Carrot Soup. I’ve also made a wide assortment of pureed soups, smoothies and frozen treats for friends who’ve undergone chemotherapy or had thyroid surgery. And, over the years, I gathered a nice collection of soft food diet ideas when I cooked for my father-in-law who had Parkinson’s disease.

Although I thought I was prepared for feeding and taking care of my 16-year-old after I brought him home after his procedure, I really wasn’t as prepared as I should have been. I gave him some pudding when he first got home, but I quickly realized that he was having a lot more trouble eating than I expected (try swallowing when you can’t feel anything in your mouth), so I started thinking of soft foods that I could make that packed more nutrients into each bite. All this to think about on top of the fact that my son was a little crabby (can you blame him?) and didn’t want to eat anything twice in the same day.

So, here’s what I made yesterday for my son:

• Banana smoothie – peaches and mangoes would be good too, but no berries because of the seeds
• Chinese steamed eggs (made with chicken broth)
• Mango ricotta pudding (1/2 cup low-fat ricotta, 1 cup mango, and honey to taste, blended until smooth)
• Chocolate tofu pudding
• Tuna fish sandwich (tuna, low-fat mayo, onion powder, salt and pepper, mixed until no lumps remain; spread on white whole wheat bread, crusts cut off)

Which brings me to today’s recipe. The only thing I made in advance was this Carrot and Coriander Soup and some plain congee. I had chosen this recipe to try for this week’s 50 Women Game Changers In Food event, even before I knew my son was having his wisdom teeth pulled this week. So, making this soup was very timely. I “veganized” this soup recipe by substituting coconut oil and coconut milk for the butter and creme fraiche called for in the original recipe. So, not only is this soup vegan, but it is also healthier since it has no cholesterol (plant-based foods are naturally cholesterol free).

So, will my son be getting his “junk fix” this week? Yes, to some extent, but I also will be making him fruit smoothies, pureed soups and other soft foods that I hope will keep him feeling satiated and well nourished.

This carrot and coriander soup is from Delia Smith, the UK’s best-selling cookery author (she has written over 20 cookbooks), with more than 21 million copies sold. Delia Smith is an English chef, author and TV personality, best known for her no-nonsense style of teaching people basic cookery skills.

She started working in a small restaurant at the age of 21 as a “washer-upper” before becoming a waitress, and eventually helping with the cooking. In 1969, Delia became the cookery writer for the Daily Mirror’s new magazine, and later, married their deputy editor. Starting in 1972, and for the next 12 years, she wrote a column in the Evening Standard. Delia’s cookery television show Family Fare (1973-1974) brought her fame, and lead to 14 additional television cooking series (1974- 2010). In 2001, Delia launched her website, Delia Online, which houses an incredible archive of her recipes and serves as a forum for contributors to share their recipes.

I will be serving this carrot and coriander soup to my family today (with a swirl of coconut milk and sprinkling of ground coriander, but without the toppings for my son whose mouth is still extremely tender).