(from Nature’s Medicine Cabinet by Bruce Burnett)

Thyme enhances wonderfully the flavor of beta-carotene-rich vegetables such as carrots, squash and sweet potatoes.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. carrots, chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 bouquet garni consisting of six sprigs of fresh parsley and three sprigs of thyme (or 1 tsp. of dried thyme and 6 black peppercorns)
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 4 T. butter
• 6 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
• freshly grated mace or nutmeg to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation
In a large soup pot, sauté the onion and garlic in butter until soft. Start with the onion and add the garlic after a few minutes. Add the stock and the carrots, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the bouquet garni and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes.

Carrots are the one vegetable that become more nutritious with cooking as the vitamin A-rich fiber is broken down and more easily absorbed by the body.

Remove the bouquet garni, allow the soup to cool and put it through the blender in batches. Reheat the soup over low heat while adding the nutmeg or mace; salt and pepper to taste. Serve with some fresh, homemade bread and garnish with fresh parsley and a little chopped, fresh thyme.