Thai Inspired Carrot & Yellow Pepper Soup

Another delicious soup from one of my FAVORITE blogs, Cafe Sucre Farine. I love love love this blog! It's incredible....and the author has an out of this world talent for creating out of this world soups! This Thai Carrot & Yellow Pepper Soup is no exception!! Enjoy!

Here is her recipe verbatim:   
For the soup:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 large yellow bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• 4 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger*
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh lemongrass
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 ½ pounds carrots, peeled and roughly chopped (I sometimes cheat and use the baby carrots that are already peeled - makes this soup come together super fast!)
• 1 14-ounce can light coconut milk
• ½ teaspoon salt

For the gremolata:

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablepoon finely chopped carrot
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
• ½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger
• ½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh lemongrass
• 1 small clove garlic, finely minced

Instructions:

1. In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat until hot. Add onion and yellow pepper and cooking, stirring occasionally until onion is wilted, about 3-4 minutes.
2. Add garlic, ginger, lemongrass, coriander, brown sugar and red pepper flakes. Cook for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Add chicken broth and carrots. Increase heat to high. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a steady simmer. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until carrots are very tender.
4. Add coconut milk and puree until smooth with immersion or regular blender. If using a regular blender, blend in batches. I like to place a narrow funnel in the opening of the blender cover and hold it in place as I blend. It allows the steam to escape, preventing a mess.
5. Serve hot with a drizzle of Greek yogurt (thinned out with a little milk) and a scatter of Thai gremolata. <I saved a tablespoon of the canned coconut milk and used that as a drizzle instead of yogurt>
6. For the gremolata, combine all ingredients and stir to combine. <My husband preferred the soup without the gremolata at all>