Flavorful Sweet Potato Soup

The spring in the Northwest is fickle.  We had lovely weather yesterday: sunny, 70s, beautiful.  Today we were back to rain and the low-50s.  It was a good soup day.

Every Sunday evening I make dinner in a large enough quantity that Honey and I have leftovers to take as lunches throughout the week.  Since we had plenty of potatoes and a few sweet potatoes, I decided that it was time to make a potato soup.  It had been a while, and I was getting a bit bored with bean or lentil soups.  After spending some time at a potato soup recipe website, I created my own version of a soup based on several that I found there.

 Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4lbs sweet potatoes (or yams), chopped (into bite-sized bits)
• 2lbs potatoes, chopped
• 2 large carrots, grated
• 2 bell peppers, finely chopped
• 3 jalepenos, finely chopped
• 1 bunch scallions, chopped
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• 2" ginger, grated
• 1 TBSP minced garlic
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 TBSP red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp. hot New Mexican red chili powder
• 1-3 tsp olive oil 
• 10 c. chicken broth (I use water + chicken bullion)
• grated cheese to taste

 In a LARGE stock pot, saute onions in oil for a few minutes until soft, then add sweet potatoes, potatoes, and garlic and saute for about five minutes.

Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.  When boiling, add the carrots, half of the chopped jalepenos, and the grated ginger.

When the potatoes are cooked (about 20 minutes), remove 1/3 of the soup and puree the rest (I use an immersion blender -- works like a charm!), then add the 1/3 back to the pot.

Add the bell peppers, spices, and remainder of the jalepenos.  Cook for 2-3 minutes.

Serve soup with cheese, cilantro, and scallions. Easy!

I post my creations on many wonderful "party pages" and you can see the list here on my blog.