Here it is November already! and we all know what is looming around the corner. I have begun to consider my Thanksgiving menu and hope to tweak it in another week or so. I am playing around with some new soup recipes and I found this one in Gwyneth Paltrow’s new cookbook “It’s All Good” . I followed most of the directions but did it my way. We also like it spicy, and the spice can be regulated to your particular taste . I also try to find vegetarian soups because our daughter Kerri is a vegetarian and I try as much as I can to find things that I know she can eat, since she won’t eat any of the meat on the table . So this is completely vegan. If you don’t like cilantro you can omit it. I love it but I know a lot of people have issues with it. This soup has no cream but comes out very creamy tasting and there is only 2 tbsp. of olive oil in here , super healthy food here. Very Southwestern flavor here with the smoky taste of chipotle.
This will serve 4 people as is , so adjust as you need to.
Shopping List:
fresh cilantro, chipotle in adobo ( sold in a can most everywhere), Sweet Potatoes
Pantry Items:
Vegetable Stock, Cumin, Kosher Salt or Sea Salt, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Red Onion and Fresh Garlic Cloves.
Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 large red onion, finely diced ( app. 1 1/2 cups)
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 sprigs of fresh cilantro, ( unless you hate it), you’ll need a piece of kitchen string to tie together.
3/4 tsp. cumin
Kosher Salt or Sea Salt
1 1/2 tsp. chipotle in adobo ( adjust for your own taste) go gently with this stuff, it’s pretty potent.
4 – 6 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced ( app. 6 cups) depending on the size of sweet potatoes you may need 4 or 6, I used 4 fairly large, I could have used more. You want at least 6 cups of diced sweet potatoes.
6 cups Vegetable Stock
Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot ( think Le Creuset) over medium-high heat.
Add the onion, garlic , cilantro sprigs, cumin and a generous pinch of salt and cook. Stir it around until softened not browned, app. 10 minutes.
Add the chipotle and the sweet potatoes and stir to combine. If you are not a big fan of spicy you should go lightly with the chipotle. Taste soup after flavors start to break down and before you put in the blender and you can add a bit more.
Add the vegetable stock to the pot and turn up the heat. Bring soup to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the sweet potatoes are very soft., app. 1/2 hour. Taste for salt, I added at least another teaspoon of sea salt.
Remove and discard the cilantro sprigs.
I allow soup to cool down, and I pureed it in my blender. I did it in 3 batches and you’ll need a fairly powerful blender, or use the food processor. If soup is too thick add a little vegetable stock to thin it out as you blend. I had 2 boxes to start so 2 cups were left in the second box which I will use when I re-heat the soup the next day.
Garnish each bowl with a few cilantro leaves, if you like cilantro.
If you have any extra sweet potatoes you can pan-fry a few pieces in a bit of olive oil sprinkled with cumin or coriander and slide them into the finished soup.
Enjoy!
This recipe has been with me since 2013 and it is truly one of my easiest go-to recipes that I really love to make and mostly love to eat. It’s perfect for the Holidays or any night. I started making it for Passover and Rosh Hashana because it cooks in the slow cooker and frees up my oven . This is a winner in every sense of the word.
Cooking with Candi 