Fall means that I get to pull out my sweatshirts because it's starting to get cool enough to wear them. I love comfy clothes...and I love food that warms you up as it hits your belly. Soup is something that always does that for me...and I love finding new soups that I can add to my repertoire.
Do you remember back in March of this year when Michael and I went to Napa for the Healthy Kitchens Healthy Lives conference at the Culinary Institute of America? What? You don't? Hmmm...well maybe you need to stop reading this and go back to March in my archives and read all about this trip! It was such a wonderful trip, Napa is gorgeous, and I came out of it with a binder full of recipes! And I'm just NOW getting around to sharing one of my favorites with you!
We had this wonderful soup one of the first days there and I could not wait to get home to make it. And when we gained access to the recipes I was surprised at how simple it actually was to make...and how well it freezes to boot!
Okay...okay...enough with my blabbering on and on. For today's Foodie Friday Blog Post...I'm going to share with you...
~Creamy Carrot, Ginger, Sweet Potato and Peanut Soup~
Ingredients~
- 1 tablespoon Peanut Oil
- 1 pound of Carrots, chopped
- 2 ribs of Celery, chopped
- 1 large Onion, white or yellow, sliced
- 4 1/2 cups Water
- 2 cups nonfat or lowfat Milk
- 1 pound Sweet Potatoes, sliced (the darker colored ones will give the soup a lovely color)
- 1/3 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
- 2 tablespoons Fresh Ginger, minced (you can use 2 teaspoons of ground ginger instead)
- Kosher Salt, to taste
- Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons Peanuts, chopped
The Recipe~
This recipe doesn't require many ingredients...but it's one that you will enjoy making time and time again! I promise! :)
First get your veggies ready. Peel, and chop 1 pound of carrots.
Chop two ribs of celery.
Peel and slice 1 large onion...yellow or white.
Add some peanut oil to a stock pot or dutch oven.
Toss in the carrots, onions and celery...season with a little bit of Kosher Salt.
Cover the pot and let the veggies sweat it out over medium-low heat until the onions are translucent. **Stir every so often to check on the progress**
While the veggies are sweating it out in the sauna, peel and slice 1 pound of sweet potatoes.
After the veggies have done their time, add 4 1/2 cups of water, 2 cups of lowfat or nonfat milk.
Drop in the sweet potatoes.
Add in about 1/3 cup of creamy peanut butter. Eyeball this...it doesn't have to be exact :)
Now for the ginger. I usually buy a big piece of ginger, peel it, mince it and stick it in a baggie and freeze it so I always have it on hand! So all I have to do is break off a chunk and toss it into whatever I'm cooking. :) So in my case...break off about 2 tablespoons of minced ginger. :) If you don't have this...peel, and mince fresh ginger.
Add in some Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste. I started with about 1 teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon and a half of pepper.
Give this all a big stir to mix in the peanut butter, then cover it and bring it to a boil.
Once it's boiling, reduce the heat and simmer the soup uncovered for about 20 to 25 minutes, until veggies are soft. (Test the carrots and sweet potatoes with a fork)
Once veggies are soft, in batches, blend the mixture.
**Housewife Tip** When blending hot liquids ALWAYS hold the lid with a towel. And don't fill the blender more than half full. Years ago I cleaned cream of asparagus soup off the ceiling, walls, counters and floors of my kitchen because I didn't know this. ;-)
You can also use an immersion blender if you have one...or even a food processor. You just want to get everything thing smooth and creamy!
Once blended, taste and adjust seasoning. Then return to the stove and heat it all the way through over low heat.
While its heating through, chop the peanuts
For plating, or bowling hahaha, I ladle it into the bowl, put some chopped peanuts in the center and then drizzle some peanut oil and crack some fresh black pepper over the top!
When it comes to freezing I do it two ways. First of all...ALWAYS write on the baggie what it is. I promise in two weeks you will forget what it is! Write the name and date! I bag it in single servings and double servings, and write a 1 or a 2 on it. The single servings I pull out of the freezer at night put it into the fridge and toss it in Michael's lunch bag the next morning and it's thawed by the time he is ready for lunch!
I always forget how easy this soup is to make and how much I love it! As Michael enjoyed this bowl of soup I had the pleasure of cleaning the kitchen...luckily I didn't have to clean soup off every surface hahaha. :) This soup freezes so well and I love opening up the freezer to see the baggies full of soup, it makes those nights when I don't feel like cooking so much easier to deal with! Hurry...make this and stock your freezer...you WON'T be disappointed!
I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, if you make this...let me know how it turned out!! And please don't be mad at me because I confirmed that Fall is here. ;-)
Until next time...Keep Cookin'!
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