Sweet Potato Soup

A recipe was promised on Twitter this morning, and although my day became so unbelievably busy, here I am.  Finally.  At last.  Sitting on my bum with my sleepytime herb tea mix beside me and a recipe ready for you.

Except.  There is no photo.  Because a photo requires planning and forethought and remembering to do.  All things that apparently I'm bad at.  At least for now.  But then a photo would also give expectations for this concoction, and really, it should look like it looks the way you do it.  So we can think of it this way: I'm doing you a favor by not showing you what it "should" look like.  You're welcome.

In all seriousness, I will start to take more photos of my food, even though it's not my forte, because food – healthy, clean food – has become my passion.

We all know that the sweet potato is a lovely vegetable.  For those not familiar with it I encourage you heartily to become so.  It is flavorful, not starchy, and a wonderful compliment to many foods.  On its own, it is a hearty main ingredient that you can build a meal around.  One of my favorite ways of eating this is in a smooth delectable soup.  If you don't know about this vegetable, I have a few facts about it.  Aside from being very high in Vitamin A and several other vitamins and minerals, for those of you who struggle with the whole blood sugar issue like me (I'm hypoglycemic), this is the perfect vegetable for you due to it being low on the glycemic index and a high-quality complete protein.

A word about a spice that shows up in this recipe (and often in others I use): cardamom.  This is one of my favorite spices due to its savory flavor and its perfect blending with sweeter ingredients, and has some health benefits too; a definite win-win in my opinion.  Cardamom is credited with improving digestion and aiding in various stomach ailments, is a good source of vitamins and minerals, including potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium and manganese, and can also boost your metabolism which in turn helps you burn that unwanted fat and give you more energy.  What's not to like?

This is one of my favorites, and I have to admit, I make it quite often.  Every couple of weeks I cook up a double (or triple) batch, and I have enough left over to put in single serving mason jars and have ready made lunches in my fridge for a week.  But enough of that.  Now...  the recipe.

Koreen's Sweet Potato Soup*

Ingredients

1. 2 tablespoons olive oil
2. handful of scallions, chopped
3. 1 red pepper, diced
4. 1 large sweet potato, or 2 small, peeled and cut into small chunks
5. 2-3 cups vegetable broth
6. sprinkle of cardamom
7. 1 tablespoon lime juice
8. Sprinkled sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Place a saucepan or soup pot over medium heat and add the oil. When it begins to get hot, add the scallions and red pepper and sauté until softened and fully aromatized.
2. Add the sweet potatoes and enough broth to completely cover all the vegetables. Season with cardamom, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.
3. Cook until potatoes are very soft, add lime juice and then puree with a hand blender, food processor or countertop blender until smooth. You may also serve the soup as is. Taste and add more seasoning if need be.

* I look for recipes, or ideas for meals, that appeal to me, and then experiment, making it the way I like, with ingredients I like.  The recipe I borrowed the ideas from is changed sufficiently to truly make it my own.  I encourage you to do the same.  However, I appreciate any and all credit for this particular recipe should it be borrowed and used publicly.  Thank you.

Enjoy!