CEiMB: Sweet Potato Peanut Soup

It's Thursday, which means it's time for Craving Ellie in my Belly! This week's Ellie Krieger recipe is Sweet Potato Peanut Soup, hosted by Mary at Popsicles and Sandy Feet. Ellie calls it something a little different, but I've been enjoying renaming her recipes for no good reason, so bear with me.



So, about the soup. We adored it! It was the first chance I had to use my new birthday-present immersion blender (thanks Mom!). I'm hooked on my new appliance; I just want to go around collecting chopped up food to puree... is that weird? This was also the first time I've cooked with these types of flavors all together in one dish. The texture was great, but next time I'll use chunky peanut butter, I think that bit of roughness would make it perfect.

I topped the soup with a dollop of sour cream (don't waste your time piping it like I did, it sinks anyways), some green onions, and a sprinkle of crushed peanuts (quick and easy tip: buy whole peanuts, put them in a ziplock bag, and go to town smashing them with a meat tenderizer). We both agreed that the sour cream was key, so I highly recommend adding it even though it's not in the original recipe.

By the way, did you see the heart-meltingly adorable heart spoon in the picture up there? It was a birthday present from my friend Mary. Look at the handle!



Sweet Potato Peanut Soup
Adapted from Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave
Printable Recipe

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed (2 cups)
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their juices
2/3 cup creamy natural peanut butter
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 cup chopped scallion greens (about 3 scallions)
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
1/4 cup crushed peanuts (optional)

1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot over a medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell pepper and carrots and cook, stirring until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Add the cayenne, black pepper, garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the sweet potato, broth, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Puree the soup in the pot using an immersion blender or in a regular blender in 2 batches and return the soup to the pot. Add the peanut butter and honey and stir, over low heat, until the peanut butter melts. Serve warm, garnished with the scallions.

Please see this post for tips on safely pureeing hot liquids in a blender.