Roasted Carrot Bisque & ‘Eat Dairy Free’ Book Review

What better way to launch the New Year than with a giveaway and a review of Alisa Fleming’s new cookbook Eat Dairy Free. Dairy is not one of my allergens and even it isn’t one of yours this book is still an excellent allergy friendly resource. Alisa offers a whole slew of options for making most of her recipes allergy friendly. All the options she provides throughout the book become a comprehensive guide for getting a better feel for creating an allergy-friendly kitchen catered to you.
The first section of the book walks you through the ingredients used in the book and a little bit about them. This is my favourite part of Eat Dairy Free because Alisa emphasises that it isn’t about substitutes it is about eating good food. I totally support this way of looking at a restricted diet; it’s not about trying to recreate your favourite cheese. Instead, it is about finding something equally delicious, healthy, and on budget. Because you know that eating a allergy-friendly diet is not always cheap and you bet this book keeps that in mind.
Dairy Free Meal Plans
If you are going dairy free, the book is a fantastic guide. Not only will you feel more informed about your non-dairy options, but you will also feel eased into the process with the help of meal plans. One of the most overwhelming things about changing your diet is figuring what to cook or how to do it holistically. With a cookbook, it is easy to bookmark recipes, what is not easy is to actually get them on the plate. The way Alisa presents the meal plans and methods make you feel like yes you can make this food! Not only does cooking feel attainable, so does a dairy-free lifestyle (and that’s coming from a girl who eats dairy all the time!).
The recipes are clear, made with ingredients that you can quickly get at home, and have options to suit many diets, such as gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free. On top of that, many of the recipes include notes about how to jazz up your recipe or something about the ingredient. As I went through the book, I felt like I learned something new about each recipe.
All the Dairy-Free Pictures
Eat Dairy Free is full of pictures! I LOVE this because I rarely make a recipe that doesn’t have a picture. The picture on the cover and the first image you see when you open the book is Roasted Carrot Bisque, and it had me at hello!
Like I said earlier reading through a cookbook is one thing, actually giving a recipe a try is another. So to honestly be able to provide a thorough review I made the Roasted Carrot Bisque. I could not resist making it, especially with the grey weather in Berlin I needed some brightness in my house (recipe at the bottom).
I followed the recipe to the t. The timing, the proportions, the flavouring, and the cooking temperatures all worked perfectly! You can tell that Alisa put a lot of care into writing foolproof recipes. This roasted carrot bisque has an earthy richness from the roasted carrots and a smooth creaminess from the coconut milk. The only tiny change I made was the garnish using thyme instead of parsley and adding a drizzle of spicy olive oil. This bisque does not disappoint and pairs perfectly with some crusty bread!
Get your copy: Eat Dairy Free: Your Essential Cookbook for Everyday Meals, Snacks, and Sweets
*The pictures of the roasted carrot soup in this post are taken by me
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Roasted Carrot Bisque (Dairy-Free)
- Author: from Eat Dairy Free by Alisa Fleming
Description
This simple soup is a great way to showcase fresh carrots. It’s slightly rich, naturally sweet, a little rustic, and very comforting.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 medium onion, halved and then quartered
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 1/2 tablespoons melted coconut or olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 4 cups (1 quart) chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 (14-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 1/2 cups water, more or less as needed
- 1 to 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Coconut cream or additional full-fat coconut milk, for garnish (optional)
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425.F.
- Place the carrots, onion, and garlic cloves on a large rimmed baking sheet and toss with the oil and sweetener to coat. Spread out the vegetables into a single layer.
- Roast for 20 minutes. Stir and spread the vegetables back into a single layer. Roast for 20 to 25 more minutes, or until soft and browned around the edges, but not burned.
- Transfer the roasted vegetables to your blender or food processor and add the broth. Blend for 2 to 3 minutes, or until relatively smooth. This may need to be done in two batches.
- Pour the carrot mixture into a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the coconut milk and desired amount of water to thin. Season with the salt and pepper to taste. Cook until heated through.
- Ladle into bowls. If desired, swirl with a little coconut cream or coconut milk and sprinkle with parsley.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Notes
Flavor Variations
Curry: While heating in step 5, stir in 2 to 3 teaspoons of your favorite curry powder.
Smoky: While heating in step 5, stir in 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, or to taste.
Herb: Garnish each bowl with 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, thyme, or rosemary, or add the herbs to the vegetables during the last minute of roasting.
Winter: For a creamier seasonal finish, substitute sweet potatoes or squash for the carrots.
Credit for this Recipe: This recipe is reprinted with permissions from Eat Dairy Free: Your Essential Cookbook for Everyday Meals, Snacks, and Sweets by Alisa Fleming (BenBella Books, 2018). Photo by Nicole Axworthy.
Photo in this recipe by Kortney Kwong Hing.
- Category: Soup
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6-8 servings
Kortney is your typical atopic triad! She manages asthma, eczema, environmental and food allergies. Kortney is a co-creator of the online community Allergy Travels and co-host of The Itch Podcast. She wants to spread joy in a community that can easily see the hard side of life with atopic disease and believes that you can have a full life with food allergies, it may just be lived a little differently!
The texture of this looks amazing! I like the touch of maple syrup to add another layer of sweetness.
It is so smooth and luscious 😉
The color of this soup is divine! I love honey or maple option to give it a sweetness. What a cozy soup!
It is! 😀 I was worried the soup would be to sweet, but it is really perfectly balanced with the roasted flavours.
I love the play of savory and sweet in this bisque. It is a beautiful color!
The sweetness is a lovely touch to the richness of the soup.
I’m looking forward to trying this both in the original version and the curry version. Either way, I’m sure it will be delicious!
The curry version is next on my list of things to make! I think it will pair really well with the sweetness of this soup.
This bisque looks amazing, and so comforting! I’m always trying to find ways to cut down in my dairy (I suspect I’m somewhat intolerant) but dairy is such a big part of my diet! I definitely need to check this book out!
Dairy is a huge part of my diet and this book is definitely a good first step into looking for ways to add a few dairy choices into your day.
This sounds amazing! It looks really thick and satisfying. Making it today!
It is super thick. I decided not to add anymore water because I like a soup with oomph!
Sounds like an amazing book!! And that bisque looks creamy dreamy. Plus, that colour is stunning 🙂
I seem to gravitate to orange coloured foods in the winter… wonder why that is 😀
This looks amazing!! This DF girl thanks you for your review 🙂
😀
Sounds like a wonderful cook book and the carrot bisque looks stunning! Great shot!!! Have pinned to try, thanks for sharing ♥
Thanks Maria. The cookbook is definitely worth a read 😀
I agree with enjoying the best your diet has to offer rather than always trying to recreate something you used to eat. This book looks great, and your photos are beautiful, too! I’ve Pinned this recipe to try.
Thanks Cathy!
I don’t have a diary allergy, but I’m always looking for ways to reduce my dairy intake – like making my own homemade cashew milk! This book looks wonderful and the soup is so pretty! Pinning the recipe for a cold, rainy day 🙂
It’s amazing what delicious things you can make without dairy. I am so dairy-centric this book has done a great job at opening my eyes to other possibilities.
Oh wow, your photos are GORGEOUS Kortney. I’m so, so honored. Thank you so much!
I love your book Alisa! I can’t wait for more people to get their hands on it 😀
This looks delicious! What a wonderful winter soup!
My family loves carrot soup, I usually make it in an instant pot for speed but this roasted method will bring out the carrots’ natural sweetness! Yum!!!
The roasting definitely adds a lovely flavour. I normally throw everything in a pot and then blend so this was a fun change.
Simply Delicious Allergy Friendly Recipes by Kelly Roenicke is my fave so far.
I made a similar soup this weekend but definitely need to give this one a try! We LOVE soup around here!