Sunday's Soup

While cruising through Pinterest, I came across a recipe for sweet potato soup that looked amazing. The website  where I was directed to is quite interesting. It is a vegan website, but I think there are recipes for just about everyone's taste. The soup is called;
Sweet Potato Soup In a Flash

Here is the recipe as it is printed. I made a number of changes and they are below.

1 cup mashed sweet potato (from a baked sweet potato - all sticky and sweet)
1/2 cup+ No-Chicken Broth (or substitute vegetable broth) -- add more to thin out to desired consistency
1/2 cup soy milk*, original or plain or unsweetened flavors (I used Soy Dream)
*almond milk will work too

Add to taste (what I used):
* orange or satsuma zest (a pinch)
* salt (3 pinches)
* chipotle powder (1/2 tsp)

Garnish:
1/4 cup diced avocado
2-3 tortilla chips, crushed (I used red, spicy jalapeno chips!)
dash of seasoned chili salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Bake your sweet potato until tender.
3. Remove potato skin, add to blender along with the broth and non-dairy milk. Blend on low until smooth. Taste a drop to see that it is slightly bland at this point. Add the salt and spices to taste. I added the zest last and folded it into the poured soup.
4. Serve with garnish or avocado and crushed chips over top.
You can find the original recipe here,http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2012/12/sweet-potato-soup-in-flash-avocado-on.html

Here are the changes that I made to the recipe. She suggests as an alternative to use canned pumpkin which I did. Makes the process really fast. I also used coconut milk rather than soy milk. I used a large can of pumpkin which rendered 3 cups, so I tripled everything. If you don't like your food too spicy, go easy on the chipotle powder, at least initially. You can always add more. For 3 cups of pumpkin, I added the juice of a 1/2 lime. I added more to my serving. I also added a can of white beans that I drained and rinsed. I suggest adding a teaspoon of ground cumin and a teaspoon of garlic powder. As you can see from the picture, I did add broken tortilla chips. I used Doritos brand Spicy Sweet Chili.

I think they are awfully good :) I didn't get paid for that, wish I did ;) I didn't have any on hand, but a welcome addition would be chopped green onions as an added garnish.
So you have the original version and my version with the changes I made. It is a very nice soup that would be great for week day lunches. If you have leftover baked sweet potatoes, I suggest using them for this recipe. The pumpkin is a stronger taste, sweet potatoes are mellower.
Hope you're having a wonderful Sunday!
Rhonda

Sunday's Soup

Sweet Potato Soup

I'm sure many of you by now are running around like mad trying prepare everything for Christmas. I too have a lot on my to do list. Today's soup is another one that I found on the William's Sonoma website. It is sooo simple to make, very few ingredients, and it has a nice mellow taste that is not overpowered by the sweet potatoes. If by chance you are looking or thinking about a soup to start off your holiday meal, this is one that I would highly recommend.  You can find it here on the William's Sonoma website, http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/sweet-potato-soup.html The only change that I will be making to the recipe is that I plan to add a little milk to the soup when I serve it. I felt that it could use it. Something that you can decide once you make it.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 1 leek, white portion only, halved, rinsed and
    thinly sliced
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into
    2-inch pieces
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped (optional)

Directions:

Sauté the vegetables

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the leek and celery and sauté until the leek is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and stock, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. 

Puree the soup
Using a food processor or blender, (I use a hand held mixing wand)process the soup to a smooth puree. Return the soup to the pan and reheat to serving temperature. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle into soup bowls, garnish with the pecans and serve. Serves 4.

To toast pecans, preheat an oven to 325°F. Scatter the pecans on a baking sheet and toast, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 10 minutes. You can also toast them, shaking often, in a dry fry pan over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Looks inviting don't you think?!! My soup bowls don't match my Christmas plates, but that's okay, the soup's good :)
Happy Holidays!!
Rhonda