Sweet Potato, Carrot, Apple and Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients:
1/2 Tbsp. Olive Oil 
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
3 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup red lentils
1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. paprika
4 cups vegetable broth

Directions: 

1. Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Place the chopped sweet potatoes, carrots, apple, and onion in the pot. Stir and cook the apples and vegetables until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes.
2. Stir the lentils, ginger, ground black pepper, salt, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and vegetable broth into the pot with the apple and vegetable mixture. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils and vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes.
3. Working in batches, pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.
4. Return the pureed soup to the cooking pot. Bring back to a simmer over medium-high heat, about 10 minutes. Add water as needed to thin the soup to your preferred consistency. Serve with yogurt for garnish.*

Nutrition Information (8 oz. serving): 110 calories, 4 g protein, 1 g fat, 5 g fiber
Nutritional Information (12 oz. serving): 220 calories, 9 g protein, 3 g fat, 5 g fiber

Curried Sweet Potato Soup

from The Essential New York Times Cookbook via joy

serves 6 to 8

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup coarsely chopped onions

1 large clove garlic, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped ginger

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick

6 cups chicken broth, or slightly more as needed.

salt and pepper to taste

6 to 8 teaspoons goat cheese

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add the onions and saute until the onions begin to brown, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and saute, stirring for 30 seconds.  Add the ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric and red pepper flakes.  Add the sweet potatoes and broth and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer until the sweet potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes.

Puree the soup, in batches in a blender or food processor.  Season to taste.  The soup can be made a day ahead and kept in the fridge.  Reheat over a low flame.  If the soup is too thick, add a little more stock.

Baked Curry Sweet Potato Fries with Yogurt Dipping Sauce

By Joy the Baker

Makes 1 potatoes worth of fries.  This recipe is easily multiplied

1 plump sweet potato/yam/orange-fleshed potato, peeled

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/8 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Yogurt Sauce:

1/3 cup Greet yogurt

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon olive oil

salt to taste

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Peel sweet potato and slice off the top  and bottom points of the potato.  With potato positioned north to south, use a large knife to slice potato into 1/3-inch potato planks.  Stack planks in two piles, and slice, north to south, into 1/3-inch sticks.  Fries!

Place potato sticks onto prepared baking sheet and toss with olive oil.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, add oil curry powder, cumin, turmeric, and crushed red pepper flakes and whisk to incorporate.  Pour the mixture over the potato sticks and gentle toss to coat the potatoes.

Place in the oven and bake to desired doneness and crispiness, my fries took about 40 minutes.  While the fries bake, stir together yogurt, cumin, olive oil and salt.  Place in a small serving dish.

Red Curry Soup with Rice

by IsaChandra

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced medium
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
3/4 cups basmati or jasmine rice, rinsed
6 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 tablespoons red curry paste
1 large sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 can lite coconut milk
1 tablespoon agave syrup
Juice of one lime

Optional: fresh chopped cilantro to garnish

Preheat a 4 quart soup pot over medium heat. Saute onion in oil with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes or so, until translucent. Add garlic and ginger and saute a minute more.

Add rice, vegetable broth and salt, cover pot and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, lower heat to simmer. Mix in 2 tablespoons curry paste. Add kale and sweet potatoes. Cover pot and let simmer for about 15 minutes, until sweet potatoes are tender.

Add coconut milk, agave and lime. Taste for salt and flavor. Add more curry paste if you like.

Remove from heat and serve immediately, or even better let it sit for 10 minutes to give the flavors a chance to meld. Top with fresh chopped cilantro if you like.

Sweet Potato Lentil Chili

Recipe from ed&bv. 

1 Tbsp (15 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 3/4 cups (425 mL) onions, diced
1 cup (250 mL) celery, diced
2 - 2 1/2 cups (500 to 625 mL) orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1 in (2.5 cm) cubes
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp (5 mL) sea salt
Ground black pepper to taste
2 tsp (10 mL) chili powder
1 tsp (5 mL) paprika
1/2 tsp (2 mL) freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cumin
1/4 tsp (1 mL) cinnamon
1/2 tsp (2 mL) crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1 1/4 cups (310 mL) dry red lentils
2 1/2 cups (625 mL) water
1 - 28 oz (796 mL) can crushed tomatoes
1 - 14 oz (398 mL) can black or kidney beans, rinsed
1 bay leaf
3 Tbsp (45 mL) freshly squeezed lime juice
Lime wedges (for serving)

In large pot on medium heat, add oil, onions, celery, sweet potatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, and spices, and stir through. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally; reduce heat if onions are sticking to bottom of pot. Rinse lentils. Add to pot with water, tomatoes, beans, and bay leaf, and stir to combine. Increase heat to bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes or until sweet potatoes are softened, stirring occasionally. Stir in lime juice and serve portions with lime wedges.
Serves 6.

Cooking Note:  If you only have whole or diced tomatoes, use a hand blender to 'crush' them:  first pour off some liquid from can into pot, then use a hand blender to puree tomatoes directly in the can.

Red Lentil Thai Chili

By Isa Chandra

Olive oil (1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons, however much you feel like using)

1 large yellow onion, diced medium

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced medium

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes cut into æ inch chunks

1 cup red lentils

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups vegetable broth

2 15-ounce cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste

1 15-ounce can low-fat coconut milk

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish

Limes for garnish (optional)

Preheat a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Sauté onions and pepper in oil with a pinch of salt, for 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and sauté a minute more.

Add chili powder, sweet potatoes, lentils, salt and vegetable broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Let it boil for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. When lentils are cooked and sweet potatoes are tender, add the remaining ingredients and heat through.

Taste for salt and seasoning, top with cilantro and lime and serve!

Curried Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Soup

This lovely recipe comes from the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen and is really so delish! It's been one of my favorite so far. Although all the recipes I post are my faves. If I don't love it, then I don't post it. I loved it so much that it's going on the list for next week menus.

I didn't have chickpeas so I used corn. But, if I had been thinking i would of put in chicken. Since beans are there to provide protein. Also, I forgot to put in the peanut butter at the end. 

The soup was so good the way it was though. However, I do want to try it with the chickpeas and peanut butter. 

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon ginger paste or minced ginger root

1 small chile pepper, such as jalapeño or serrano, seeded and minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups vegetable broth (or water plus bouillon cubes)

1 pound sweet potatoes (about 1 large), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes

1 tablespoon mild curry powder, divided

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1 large head cauliflower, separated into bite-sized flowerets

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas)

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

2-4 cups water

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)

1 tablespoon natural peanut butter

Heat a large non-stick pot (4 quarts or larger). Add the onion and cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about 3-4 minutes. Add the cumin seeds, ginger, chile pepper, and garlic, and cook, stirring constantly, for another 30 seconds. Stir in the broth, sweet potatoes, 1 teaspoon of the curry powder, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook over low heat until sweet potato softens, about 20 minutes.

Add the cauliflower, chickpeas, and tomatoes to the pot. Add just enough water to almost cover the cauliflower, probably about 3 cups. Stir in the remaining 2 teaspoons of curry powder, and add salt and cayenne pepper (more if you like things hot, less or none at all if you prefer it not spicy). Cover and simmer until cauliflower is tender, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in the peanut butter and serve hot.