Ginger kicks it up a notch in carrot soup

Don’t throw out stale bread. Seriously, don’t. Baguettes, sliced sandwich bread and even loaves of crusty white bread can be repurposed into homemade croutons.

Use a chef’s knife to cut the bread into cubes (½-inch to ¾-inch cubes are ideal). Toss the cubes with olive oil and some salt, and then spread them out on a rimmed baking sheet.

Bake them in a 350-degree oven, stirring once or twice so they brown evenly, until crisp and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Once cool, the croutons can be stored in an airtight container for a week or so. Use them on salads or soup, such as this gingery carrot soup. Ginger Prep:

Use side of small spoon to scrape skin from one end of large piece of ginger. Peel away skin from about 1 inch of ginger.

Use a chef’s knife to cut off peeled portion of ginger. Chop peeled ginger into small pieces.

Gingery Carrot Soup

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

8 ounces carrots, peeled and cut into

1-inch pieces

1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped 1/4 teaspoon salt

Carrot Ginger Soup

11/3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/3 cup milk

In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat for 1 minute (oil should be hot but not smoking). Add carrots, ginger, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally with wooden spoon, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Stir in broth, increase heat to high, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until carrots are very soft, about 15 minutes. Turn off heat and slide saucepan to cool burner. Let cool for 5 minutes.

Use ladle to carefully transfer carrots and liquid into blender jar. Add milk. Place lid on top of blender and hold lid firmly in place with folded dish towel. Process until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour soup into bowls or mugs and serve. Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 142 calories, 4 g protein, 8 g fat, 15 g carbohydrate (7 g sugar), 4 mg cholesterol, 435 mg sodium and 3 g fiber.

America’s Test Kitchen/AP/CARL TREMBLAY