carrot gazpacho with lemongrass | dolly and oatmeal

i know last week i talked about the spring cookbook season, but we're getting into the thick of here! love & lemons is one of the first internet food spaces i visited and became a fan of before i even had a blog of my own. i always admired jeanine's simple, easily prepared but flavorful dishes, and her husband's light, bright, and airy photography. their book, the love & lemons cookbook, is the best kind of extension from their blog that they create together - thoughtful, charming design, and heavy on beautiful food photos. my favorite part (which gave me actual goosebumps!) is where jeanine lays out recipe diagrams in the back of the book. among others, there's one for pesto with variations including: traditional, pepita, zucchini, and mint. it's quite possibly the most fun and inventive thing i've seen in a cookbook in a long while!

truth be told i've never made a gazpacho. i've surely eaten my fair share, but making a cold soup never appealed to me for some reason. perhaps i never came across the right recipe, or maybe i have too much nostalgia for simmering veggies over a hot stove. but you can totally count me as a gazpacho convert now. first of all, it's super easy on the prep, "cook", and cleanup - which are waaaay important for us all, i'm sure. secondly, i thought that the raw-ness of the soup wouldn't make for that soup-y aroma i know and love, the one that fills your house with cozy scents. so i was pleasantly surprised when i left my kitchen and came back in to a waft of fragrant sweet carrots, a hint of aromatic lemongrass, and punchy curry paste. i cannot wait to dig in to more of this book and explore more of what i've been missing these years!

xo's!

*ps there's still time to enter last week's giveaway of autumn giles book, beyond canning. the giveaway ends this friday at 5pm.

carrot gazpacho with lemongrass | v + gf

since i never made a gazpacho before, i followed jeanine's recipe exactly. the only addition i did make was adding some crushed red pepper to the garnish just for a little extra heat.

| serves 4 |

1 stalk lemongrass
16 ounces (450 g) peak-season carrots, peeled and slices, about 2 bunches
1 (14-ounce/414-mL) can light or full-fat coconut milk; reserve 1/4 cup for garnish
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 tablespoons (30 mL) sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon (5 mL) red curry paste
1/2 cup (125 mL) filtered water
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

optional garnishes

hemp seeds
pepitas
microgreens
drizzles of coconut milk

method

prepare the lemongrass by cutting off the root end and the tough upper stem of the stalk. remove the one or two layers of outer leaves and finely chop the tender, aromatic part of the lemongrass.
using a high-speed blender, combine the lemongrass, carrots, coconut milk, garlic, olive oil, sherry vinegar, red curry paste, water, and a few generous pinches of salt and pepper. blend until smooth. if you're not using a high-speed blender like a vitamix, strain the soup and blend again until completely smooth.
chill for at least 4 hours. if the soups thickens in the fridge, stir in a little more cold water. add more salt and pepper, to taste.
drizzle with olive oil and serve with desired garnishes.

enjoy!