In case you were wondering

Good morning to you all!

For those observant folks out there who noticed the time stamps of my posts and are wondering why I posted four blogs in a matter of a few minutes, I had another blog page and decided to change my site and transferred all my other posts to this one. 

Anyway, I thought I'd tell you about a really interesting soup I made last night. The soup is called Spicy Sweet Potato Soup. I decided to post the recipe here since I'm going to make a few references to the ingredients and quantities.

Spicy Sweet Potato Soup (link)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon grated lime zest

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 tablespoon butter

1 onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

4 cups chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger root

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1 lime, juiced

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

salt to taste

1 large roma (plum) tomato, seeded and diced

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and lime zest. Set aside in the refrigerator to allow the flavors to blend.

2. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add sweet potatoes, and chicken stock. Season with cumin, chili flakes and ginger. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender.

3. Puree the soup using an immersion blender or regular blender. If using a counter top blender, puree in small batches, filling the blender just a bit past half way to avoid spillage. Whisk peanut butter into the soup, and heat through. Stir in lime juice and salt.

4. Ladle into warm bowls, and top with a dollop of the reserved sour cream, a few pieces of diced tomato, and a sprinkle of cilantro.

As you can see from the list of ingredients, we've got an unusual (in my opinion) combination of flavours. But do not be intimidated. The end result makes me reminiscent of a Thai dish (what with the peanut and lime flavours). Further, this was very quick and easy.

I did, however, make some changes. First, I microwaved the sweet potatoes on high for 4 minutes to reduce the cooking time. Second, I replaced half of the chicken broth with water to reduce the sodium content. I did not add any salt in the end, and I think the soup might have been too salty if I did not make the substitution. Next, I halved the peanut butter because I was wary that the flavour would be overpowering. Lastly, I did not use cilantro because I had none.

I would rate this 3.7/5 because I am not very used to the flavour combination. The good points are that it is very quick (took me about 20-25 minutes total) and easy. Also, it makes for a good winter meal because the spices really warm you up. Of course, the health factor is important, too. I think after having this a few more times, I would give this a higher rating. As a final note, I would really recommend the sour cream topping and make sure you use lime (or lemon) zest and not juice! I think it would really compromise the flavour.

-Kitchen Girl