Sweet Potato + Peanut Soup



Happy New Year! 2018 was a great year for Vegetarian & Cooking, despite not posting daily it became the year with the most views out of the seven years the blog has existed. For 2019, I'm hoping to improve upon this momentum and to make this the best year on Vegetarian & Cooking yet. One of our 2019 resolutions is to cook more at home, to focus on eating well, and being more cognizant of portion sizes. I also personally plan to carve out more time for blogging each week.

Even though it hasn't been as cold as it usually is in Ohio, it still feels like it should be soup weather since it's almost January. This sweet potato and peanut soup was easy to make and included my favorite coconut bacon as a topping. I spent the last week home on winter break and I loved that this made for a light and healthy lunch one day. All of the flavors blend together really well and since there's a pretty equal mix of soy sauce, peanut butter, and maple syrup there isn't one flavor that overwhelms any of the others. Dave ate the leftovers for lunch at work and enjoyed the coconut bacon as a topping. This would also be good with some chipotles added for additional spice. 

Recipe slightly adapted from Vegetarian Ventures.

Ingredients: 
-1 red onion, diced
-1 tablespoon coconut oil
-2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
-1 teaspoon smoked paprika
-6 cups vegetable broth
-1 tablespoon soy sauce
-1 tablespoon maple syrup
-1 tablespoon peanut butter
-1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce
-Juice from 1/2 lime
-Salt and pepper, to taste

For the toppings:
-Handful of coconut flakes
-1 tablespoon liquid smoke
-1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
-1 tablespoon maple syrup
-Greek yogurt for serving (optional)
-Fresh parsley for serving (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the liquid smoke, soy sauce, and maple syrup in a bowl. Add the coconut flakes and stir until the coconut flakes are coated in the sauce. Spread the coconut flakes out onto a single layer on the parchment paper and bake for 10-15 minutes, stirring the flakes every 5 minutes to make sure they are evenly cooked and to prevent burning.

Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add one tablespoon of coconut oil. Add the diced red onion and saute until soft (5-7 minutes). Add the sweet potatoes, 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, a dash of salt, and the 6 cups of vegetable broth. Bring the soup to a simmer and let simmer for 10 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are fork tender.

Once the potatoes have softened remove the soup from the heat and use an immersion blender to puree. Add the soy sauce, maple syrup, peanut butter, chili sauce, and lime juice. Puree again. Return to the burner and let simmer until the soup has reached your desired thickness and consistency. Season with salt, pepper, and more lime juice.

To serve, divide the soup between four or six bowls and serve with Greek yogurt, the prepared coconut bacon, and fresh parsley. 
   




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