It has been a chilly and rainy winter in Southern California. And more rain is here this weekend so…a good time to try some soup! A couple weeks ago after a nice but unseasonably cold bike ride, I pulled out an older edition Food and Nutrition Magazine from 2015 and found a bunch of soups to make. I am posting 2 of them here.
Beautiful scenes from the bike ride. Arroyo Simi Bike Path Flat, approximately 18 miles round trip if you start around Madera to Yosemite Avenue in Simi Valley.
I love that these two soups have very similar ingredients but very different tastes and textures. They both are great sources of fiber, potassium and vitamin A.
Above: Ingredients for Sweet Potato Soup with Cashew Coconut Cream
This sweet potato soup is a cream soup with out the cream! Super easy and yummy recipe! Basically soften the shallot and garlic in oil then add the rest of the chopped vegetables and spices and sauté. Add the broth and cook until vegetables are soft. I used a vegetable broth and omitted the salt in the ingredient list. If you don’t omit the salt when using a broth (unless it is unsalted) it will be too high in sodium. To make the soup creamy, use an immersion blender or transfer soup to a blender once it has cooled a bit. The addition of the cashew butter and small amount of coconut milk to the soup base and the cashew-coconut cream as a garnish, makes the soup really yummy without making it a heavy cream soup.
Soften the shallots and garlic in olive oil for a few minutes, stirring frequently.
I used a lighter sweet potato here. You can use a combination of the white and orange variety or try all orange sweet potato. Add all the veggies and spice and saute’ for a minute and then add the broth or water.
Add water (I used a reduced sodium vegetable broth and skipped the added salt) and bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes or until veggies are soft. Add the cashew butter and coconut milk (I used reduced fat coconut milk) Blend until smooth with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender when soup has cooled a bit.
Add the coconut cashew cream and cilantro and even a couple crushed cashews for a garnish. Here, I added leftover roasted vegetables!
Sweet Potato Soup with Cashew Coconut Cream
Developed by Cara Rosenbloom, RD
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups sweet potato, diced (about 2 medium)
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 tablespoons mild yellow curry powder
¾ teaspoon sea salt
4 cups water
¼ cup full-fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons cashew butter
¼ cup parsley or cilantro, chopped, for garnish
Cashew-Coconut Cream
¼ cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon cashew butter
2 teaspoons full-fat coconut milk
1 to 2 teaspoons water
Directions
In a large pot over medium heat, add oil, shallots and garlic. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.
Add sweet potato, celery and carrot, and sauté for 1 minute.
Stir in curry powder and salt. Add water, bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
Remove soup from heat and cool slightly. Add coconut milk and cashew butter, stirring well to combine. Puree soup in the pot with an immersion blender, or add soup to a blender to puree.
To make cashew-coconut cream: In a small bowl, combine yogurt, cashew butter and coconut milk. Add water as needed until consistency is thick and similar to heavy cream.
Ladle soup into four bowls, and swirl 1 tablespoon cashew-coconut cream into each bowl. Garnish with parsley or cilantro. Serves 4.
Nutrition Information
SERVING SIZE: 1 cup
CALORIES 302; TOTAL FAT 14g; SAT. FAT 5g; CHOL. 1mg; SODIUM 623mg; CARB. 40g; FIBER 6g; SUGARS 4g; PROTEIN 7g; POTASSIUM 807mg; PHOSPHORUS 174mg
The next soup, African Peanut Soup has a tomato base, making it a hearty, flavorful and nutritious soup.
Very similar ingredients to the previous soup but a very different taste.
Saute ginger, garlic and shallots for a few minutes, stirring frequently.
Add diced sweet potato( I used a combination of light and orange sweet potatoes) and spices and stir to combine. I also added a carrot here.
Add tomatoes and peanut butter and stir to combine. Then add broth and stir and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes and then add quinoa and simmer an additional 15 minutes. I love to use crushed tomatoes to make it creamier. You can also use an immersion blender to puree some of the soup for a creamer texture if you use the diced canned tomatoes. ***If you are not using a no salt added broth, skip the added salt in this recipe.
Garnish with some cilantro and chopped peanuts if desired. This soup lends well to the addition of spinach to your individual soup bowl.
Developed by Cara Rosenbloom, RD
Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1½ tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, diced
3 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 2 medium)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
½ cup natural creamy peanut butter (no salt, sugar or oil added)
5 cups no-added-salt vegetable broth
¼ cup quinoa, dry
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish
½ cup unsalted roasted peanuts, for garnish
Directions
In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add ginger, garlic and shallots, and sauté for 4 minutes or until soft and fragrant.
Add sweet potato, cumin and coriander. Stir to combine. Add diced tomatoes and peanut butter, and stir until ingredients are evenly combined. Add broth and stir. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes.
Add quinoa and simmer 15 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are very soft and quinoa is cooked. Add salt and stir to combine.
If you prefer a creamy soup, use a blender or immersion blender to puree. Serve with cilantro and peanuts as garnish. Serves 8.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 cup
CALORIES 286; TOTAL FAT 15g; SAT. FAT 3g; CHOL. 0mg; SODIUM 559mg; CARB. 31g; FIBER 5g; SUGARS 7g; PROTEIN 9g; POTASSIUM N/A; PHOSPHORUS N/A
Note: Nutrition information for potassium and phosphorus in no-salt-added vegetable broth not available.
I love to add fresh greens (spinach, kale, cilantro etc…) of any kind to my soup bowl both day of and when they are re-heated the next day. I hope you enjoy them!
** Blog content may not be applicable to your condition. Please discuss individual nutritional needs with Brenda during scheduled visits.