Creamy roasted carrot and garlic soup with parsley whipped ricotta

I've been contemplating a healthier diet for the past few weeks. I tend to make meals in which meat or fish is the star, so I'm on the lookout for adventurous vegetarian mains and sides to expand my repertoire. One thing I will not do, however, is cut out sweets. I'd rather die. The Cookie Monster and I have that in common.

See, I don't believe in a life of deprivation. I deprived myself of enough food in my adolescence to make up for years of being a chubby kid, and once I became an adult I learned that both eating and exercise can be fulfilling endeavors as long as you're not doing it to prove a point. I've gained and lost weight, eaten more than I should and less than I should, exercised daily and then only when I felt like it, but it's never changed who I am. My strong constitution, my happiness, my sense of humor remain forever the same. I won't deprive myself of the pursuit for good food any sooner than I will relinquish the love of family, abstain from affection, mock sincerity, or give up on hope even when it is dashed. My best self and my true self are one and the same- always here, always now.

Creamy roasted carrot and garlic soup


4 large carrots, peeled
10 garlic cloves, unpeeled
4 cups beef or chicken stock
1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta
1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
Kosher salt
Freshly-ground black pepper

Preheat the oven the 325F.
Cut the carrots into 2-inch pieces. Place them onto a lightly-colored pan along with the unpeeled garlic cloves. Lightly coat with oil, salt, and pepper. Cover pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Put in oven and roast for 40 minutes or until the tops are deep golden, removing the pan to mix the veggies around every 15 minutes.
Pour the stock in a deep pot and heat it over medium until steam begins to rise off the surface of the liquid.
Remove the skins from the garlic and place in a blender along with the carrots. Pour in the stock. Blend until completely smooth. Blend in the ricotta.
Pour the mixture back into the pot, add the sugar, and the salt and pepper to taste. Heat the soup over medium for about 10 minutes to allow the flavors to marry. Serve with parsley whipped ricotta or, for a lighter soup, parsley purée.

Parsley whipped ricotta


1 cup whole-milk ricotta
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Kosher salt, to taste

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and whip on medium speed for 5 minutes. Quenelle the ricotta and garnish the soup (instructions on how to quenelle here).