Carrot, Leek and Orange Soup

Don't you love a title for a recipe that tells you exactly what's in it? Unless you don't like those ingredients and then maybe you don't. Well, I love all three of these ingredients, so I thought they would taste good in a soup to go with Artisan Bread....and they do. In fact, I am sitting on the couch enjoying a bowl of this soup as I type this. So give it a try, play around with the ingredients if need be and let me know how it tastes :)

Ingredients (makes enough for 3-4 people):
1 tbsp vegan butter or margarine
1 tsp olive oil
2 bay leaves
1 small leek, cleaned and diced
3 large carrots, chopped
1/4 tsp ground, dried sage (you could use fresh, but I didn't have it and I don't know what the conversion would be?)
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
a few pinches of pepper
4 cups orange juice
2 cups of water
1 tsp grated lemon rind (or lemon juice)
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tbsp miso (you can substitute soy sauce, but I prefer the miso flavoring)





1) Over medium heat, melt butter in a large pot. Add olive oil, bay leaves and leek. Saute until the leek begins to wilt, then add carrots, sage, rosemary and pepper. Saute for an additional minute.
2) Add orange juice and water, bringing to a boil. Add the remaining ingredients and allow to simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes, or until the carrots are soft.
3) Remove the bay leaves and blend the soup until smooth. Enjoy!