I’m pretty sure my diet has primarily consisted of soup for the past 5 weeks. This little tidbit was brought to my attention at work when one of my co-workers mentioned that I’ve been making a lot of soup lately. Nothing like being called out by my team.
This soup obsession is real and I don’t think I remember how to cook anything other than gluten-free muffins/bread. Granted, it is (was?) winter and cold. And I work somewhere around 60 hours a week between two jobs. Soup = multiple meals that can be microwaved.
But, of course there is a story behind this week’s soup recipe. On my full Saturday shifts at lululemon I only go to Rev Soup for lunch. I don’t know why, its just my thing. For whatever reason, Rev Soup was jammin’ on Saturday. I patiently waited to order a bowl of Caribbean Sweet Potato soup (coconut milk, black eyed pees, sweet potatoes, onions, kale, tomatoes), but of course as soon as I walked up to order one of the workerbees came out and flipped the sign. No soup for Alex. It was like living in a Seinfeld episode. I was less than thrilled to have to go with my second choice (lamb curry) and mulled over the thought of coconut milk and sweet potatoes for the rest of my shift.
Apparently I fixate on foods I cant have, because I promptly decided that I’d make my own soup out of spite.
Caribbean Sweet Potato Soup
by
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Keywords: soup/stew dairy-free gluten-free vegan kale lentils sweet potato
Ingredients (serves 4-6)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 jalapeño, diced
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup water (if needed)
- 1 cup cubed & peeled sweet potato
- 1 cup cubed & peeled butternut squash
- 1/2 cup dried lentils
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 cup canned diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1/2 bunch purple kale, stems removed & chopped
Instructions
Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil, onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeño. Cook for 5 minutes, until tender.
Add in the spices and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Add the sweet potato, butternut squash, lentils and vegetable broth to the pot.
Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium so the soup remains at a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and additional water if the soup is becoming too thick. Continue to cook for 10-15 minutes until the lentils are soft.
Stir in the coconut milk and kale. Cook until the kale is wilted, about 2-3 minutes.
I’ve never been to the Caribbean, I doubt they have butternut squash or kale there, and I forgot to soak black-eyed peas but whatever. The joy of cooking is knowing I can do what I want.
Let’s just hope my coworkers don’t stage a soup intervention. Sorry for making the office smell like curry three weeks in a row!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
So what time should I be over for dinner?
I HATE when that happens! Especially when you’ve been waiting in line thinking about it… this version sounds delicious.