Carrot Cream Soup with Basil Mint Swirl

This easy to prepare, very delicious and healthy recipe is available in Dr. John McDougall’s February 2008 newsletter (www.drmcdougall.com).

This recipe is low in calories and total fat content, high in fiber, and high in vitamins and minerals.

Total calories = 202; Fat calories = 44; Fiber = 12 grams
Fat = 19% (4.9 g), Protein = 13% (7.5 g); Carbohydrates = 68% (39 g)

With more than 20% of the RDA, it is an excellent source of Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, and Niacin; and with between 10% and 20% of the RDA, it is a good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B12, Panthothenic Acid, and Phosporous.


There is an additional 5 grams of fat added when a tofu sour cream topping is included.

It fits the nutrition guidelines recommended for a low fat, whole foods, mostly plant based diet strategy, which are included in the “Nutrition Analysis - by the numbers ... ” post on the Foodie and Friends blog (www.FoodieandFriends.com).

The goal of a low fat diet is to keep fat content below 20% and preferably closer to 10% of total daily calories. For a 2000 calorie diet, a Fat content of 33 grams to 44 grams, represents 15% to 20% of total calories. With 4.9 grams of total fat, this is a suitable recipe to be included in a daily low fat menu.


This recipe can be made with no animal protein. Its ingredients are high in nutrient density and fiber and are in Dr. Dean Ornish’s Group 1 classification of healthiest ingredients, which can be found in his books, including ‘The Spectrum”.

A preparation demonstration and additional nutrition data are included after the jump.

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Carrot Cream Soup

Assemble the ingredients:

2 large cloves garlic, sliced
2 ribs celery, sliced
4 or 5 carrots
1 sweet potato (1/2 pound)
1 red bell pepper
2 cups water
¾ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp white pepper

1 cup soymilk


Slice and chop the

sweet potato,
carrots,
red bell pepper, and
garlic.

These very colorful ingredients are high in nutrient density with lots of vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants.



Add the vegetables with water, salt and pepper to a pot. Bring to boil and cook for about 15 minutes in the pot.

Puree the ingredients with an immersion or regular blender until they are smooth.

Add the soymilk.

And heat through.


Basil Mint Swirl

Assemble the ingredients for the basil mint swirl:


4 oz basil leaves
2 oz mint leaves
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp water

mint sprigs for garnish

and tofu sour cream for a topping


Puree the ingredients











and prepare for plating.












Plating Options

The basic soup without any toppings is a delicious and healthy recipe.

The basic sweet and creamy soup is made from very colorful vegetables which are nutrient dense and provide lots of vitamins, minerals, beta-carotene and anti-oxidants.


The recipe calls for swirling the basil mint puree in the center of the carrot soup.

My attempts at swirling did not produce an attractive plate. So, I just placed a dollop of the Basil-Mint puree in the center of the bowl, and added sprigs of mint.



When adding a sour cream topping, I simply placed a dollop of sour cream next to a dollop of the basil mint puree, and placed a mint sprig on top.

This combination produces a very interesting mix of tastes and textures with the sweetness of the soup, the tangy basil mint swirl and the creamy sour cream.

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Nutrition Analysis

By keeping the ingredients completely vegan, the fat content is slightly higher than if dairy products are used, particularly when the optional sour cream topping is included.

There is only a 0.9 gram (8 calories) difference in Fat content in the basic soup recipe between including soy milk or skim milk. However, there is a larger difference of 5 grams of Fat when 2 tablespoons per serving (my estimate for a dollop) of tofu sour cream is used instead of non-fat dairy sour cream.

Would you prefer a lower fat content or a non-dairy recipe?

You can see the complete nutrition analyses on www.FoodieandFriends.com.

Here are the summaries for each alternative:

Vegan Alternatives

Carrot Cream Soup with Basil Mint Swirl
With Soy Milk

Total calories = 202; Fat calories = 44; Fiber = 12 grams
Fat = 19% (4.9 g), Protein = 13% (7.5 g); Carbohydrates = 68% (39 g)


Carrot Cream Soup with Basil Mint Swirl
With Soy Milk and a Tofu Sour Cream Topping

Total calories = 287; Fat calories = 89; Fiber = 12 grams
Fat = 28% (9.9 g), Protein = 11% (8.5 g); Carbohydrates = 61% (48 g)

Dairy Alternatives

Carrot Cream Soup with Basil Mint Swirl
With Skim Milk

Total calories = 198; Fat calories = 36; Fiber = 12 grams
Fat = 16% (4 g), Protein = 13% (7.6 g); Carbohydrates = 71% (40 g)


Carrot Cream Soup with Basil Mint Swirl
With Skim Milk and a Non Fat Dairy Sour Cream Topping

Total calories = 223; Fat calories = 36; Fiber = 12 grams
Fat = 15% (4 g), Protein = 16% (9.6 g); Carbohydrates = 70% (43 g)

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This recipe produces 4 cups of soup. If you would like 4 bowls of soup, you’ll have to increase the recipe.

This is very healthy and delicious recipe that can easily be part of an elegant dinner.

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Carrot Cream with Basil-Mint Swirl
with Soy Milk

Carrot Cream with Basil-Mint Swirl with
Soy Milk and Tofu Sour Cream

Carrot Cream with Basil-Mint Swirl
with Skim Milk

Carrot Cream with Basil-Mint Swirl
with Skim Milk and Non-Fat Sour Cream

Basil Mint Swirl