Peanut Sweet Potato Soup! The unusual addition of peanut butter makes this soup rich and creamy without any dairy. Sweet, salty and full of flavor!
Hurricane Matthew completely messed up our plans for our yearly visit to Gainesville. We scurried to get ourselves prepared for the worst, but were pleased to find that instead we got the best case scenario with the storm staying just far enough east to spare our coast. Whew.
Since we were already semi-prepared to be out of town for the weekend before all the weather shenanigans started, we made a last minute decision to take a little weekend getaway. {Sometimes last minute plans pay off -- we got a great rate through the HotelTonight app for an oceanfront hotel in Ft. Lauderdale.}
Our friend was celebrating his birthday in Ft. Lauderdale, so it worked out perfectly to be able to attend without having to worry about the haul back up to Jupiter afterward.
We spent most of the day at a dive bar directly across from the beach and decompressed from the stressful week of uncertainty that we had just gotten through. It was a welcome, relaxing break {and probably the longest chunk of time I've spent not working in some capacity in months. When you live in your "office", you're never really off the clock!}
Anyway, after a few "happy hours", we were in need of some sustenance, so my husband and I made our way to find some grub and ended up at a taco joint that seemed promising enough. {i.e. They had food and available seating. Sold.} Since I haven't been eating meat {a long-ish story that perhaps I'll share at a later point}, I went for the Ahi Tuna taco and the Kale & Sweet Potato taco.
There was a time not long ago when sweet potatoes were a part of my weekly menu, but somehow I forgot about them and consequently had a little sweet potato hiatus in my diet. Eating the tacos reminded me about our long-lost connection, so I decided to make it a plan to cook with them this week.
Sweet potatoes are super versatile {and good for you, too}, cheap, and easy to prepare, so if you haven't paid much attention to them before, it might be a good time to become familiar with them. This Peanut Sweet Potato Soup is a great place to start!
It'll likely be some time before I get to experience a chill in the air, but the breezy, post-storm temps have given enough of the illusion of fall to want to eat autumnal things. And what's more cozy than a bowl of soup?
I saw the recipe for this soup in a magazine {one that I leaf through every fall, in fact}, and it caught my eye with its unusual flavor combo.
Sweet potato and peanut butter work surprisingly well together and create a rich, creamy soup without the addition of any dairy whatsoever. The addition of chili power and smoked paprika give this soup a deep, warming flavor that's like a cable-knit sweater for your insides. {Ew, that sounds kind of gross. But you know what I mean.}
Blend it for a smooth, silky soup or leave it chunky if you prefer. It's delicious either way.
Sometimes ruined plans lead to fun adventures and rediscovery; thanks to Hurricane Matthew for bringing about both!
Peanut Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 garlic cloves minced or grated
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Pinch of cayenne
- ½ cup diced carrot
- ¼ cup diced roasted red pepper or red bell pepper
- 2 cups {1 large} diced sweet potato {peeled}
- 3 cups water
- 1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
- Scant ½ cup creamy peanut butter {chunky is fine too}
- For Garnish: Roasted peanuts & cilantro
Instructions
- Heat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic and spices, and cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender and translucent -- about 5 minutes.
- Add carrot, red pepper and sweet potatoes. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add water and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Stir in peanut butter -- the heat will help it melt and dissolve.
- Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender.
- For smooth soup, blend soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a regular blender. {Careful, you shouldn't blend hot soup or it can explode.} For chunky soup, remove about half of the soup into another bowl and blend only half, then return the chunks to the blended soup.
- Garnish with peanuts and cilantro and enjoy hot.
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