Old stale bread transforms into croutons that top this soup

Use a chef’s knife to cut the bread into cubes (1/2-inch to 3/4-inch cubes are ideal). Toss the cubes with olive oil and some salt, and then spread them out on a rimmed baking sheet. (File Photo: Carmen/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

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

Use a chef’s knife to cut the bread into cubes (1/2-inch to 3/4-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 F 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 in soups or salads. Follow this recipe with your kids.

GINGERY CARROT SOUP

Servings 1-2 (Makes 2 cups)

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Prepare Ingredients:

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

1 1/3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/3 cup milk

Gather Cooking Equipment:

Large saucepan with lid

Wooden spoon

Oven mitts

Ladle

Blender

Dish towel

1 or 2 bowls or mugs

Start Cooking!

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. Use oven mitts to remove lid and let cool for 5 minutes.

Use ladle to carefully transfer carrots and liquid into blender jar (liquid will be hot; ask an adult for help). 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.

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.

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Nutrition information per serving: 142 calories; 72 calories from fat; 8 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 4 mg cholesterol; 435 mg sodium; 15 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 7 g sugar; 4 g protein.

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For more recipes, cooking tips and ingredient and product reviews, visit https://www.americastestkitchen.com. Find more recipes like Carrot and Ginger Soup in “The Complete Cookbook for Young Chefs .”