Vegan Roasted Parsnip and Apple Soup with Parsnip Chips and Chives

Holy cow this weather is flipping weird.  Yesterday was 80 degrees, then it literally dropped 20-30 degrees in about an hour.  This morning I woke up cocooning myself with the comforter, resisting the brisk chill and cold morning mist.  Oh wait, that's right, there was a chilly mist in the air all day.  Unfortunately this prevented me from my nice 4-5 mile walk back from physical therapy.

 

 Though, it did remind me that I had some beautiful parsnips in the refrigerator.  What a perfect day for a soul warming fall soup!  Amazingly enough, I still have some beautiful, hand picked Michigan apples from our little trip a few weeks ago.  Why not incorporate them in an easy, vegan soup?

 I love the combination of root vegetables and fruits in a soup.  They really balance each other out.  For some reason I favor fall root vegetables over any other root vegetable.  When I see parsnips, turnips and rutabaga, I instantaneously become happy.  Maybe it is because I think of my amazing mother-in-law's root vegetable gratin.  Not only is she the best mother-in-law one could ask for, but also has some killer recipes!

Vegan Roasted Parsnip and Apple Soup with Parsnip Chips and Chives

 

Ingredients:
3 medium-large parsnips, cleaned and peeled
2 apples, cored and chopped
2 small russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
 3 c vegetable broth
2 cup original and unsweetened almond milk, or nondairy milk of choice
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp ginger powder
2 tsp nutmeg

for the garnish:
parsnip chips (with a mandolin, slice half of one parsnip and fry in boiling oil for about 2 min)
chives

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400.  Chop your parsnips, toss with evoo and season with salt and pepper.  Bake in oven for about 45 minutes.  When done, remove from oven and side aside.
In a large pot, heat evoo on med-high and add in garlic, onions and potatoes.  Saute for about 5 minutes and add in apple.  Continue to saute for a few more minutes, add in parsnips, vegetable broth and almond milk.  Add in seasonings and bring to boil.  Then cover and turn to low and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.  Transfer to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.  Adjust seasoning accodingly and serve with chives and parsnip chips.