Roasted Root Veggie Soup

So it's been over a month, hasn't it. I'm sorry friends! We moved at the end of July into an awesome third floor apartment in a historic building. We're talking staircase, 2 bedrooms, wide window sills, all utilities included - bam! We lucked out :)

Other than that, work is super duper hectic right now and I'm usually wiped by the time I get home and, sadly, writing a post is the last thing on my mind. But here I am again with a new recipe for you - it's my "I'm sorry let's make up" present on this late August night.

So the recipe - tonight I whipped up a Roasted Root Veggie Soup sans potatoes. Don't get me wrong, I love potatoes, but sometimes they seem to weigh things down and I really wanted the flavors of some of our unsung root veggie heroes to shine through. I'll admit this is not a pretty soup - it's kind of beige/yellowish and lumpy....but dang it was tasty! Try it out! It's good warm or cold.

Roasted Rood Veggie Soup
Serves 3-4

1 medium sized turnip, peeled & chopped
1 small rutabaga, peeled & chopped
1 fennel bulb, chopped
3 carrots, peeled & chopped
6 unpeeled garlic cloves
1 small leek, thinly sliced
1 tsp fresh or dried thyme
1 tsp fresh or dried rosemary
4 cups veggie stock
1-2 Tbsp red pepper flakes
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place veggies in a foil lined pan and drizzle with oil. Roast about one hour.

Meanwhile, create a little foil pocket for the garlic and drizzle with oil. Roast separately from other veggies, about 30 minutes.

Unwrap veggies, let cool a bit. Squeeze garlic from skin (be careful! it's super hot and the oil can burn!) Set aside.

Heat 1-2 Tbsp oil in a pot over medium heat. Add leek and cook until tender, 6-8 mins. Add veggies, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and veggie stock. Season with salt and pepper. Bring it up to a boil and then reduce to simmer, 5-10 mins. Remove from heat. Puree using a blender or immersion blender - the latter is recommended! Season to taste.