A SOUPer recipe from a MORSELITE!

Happy Work-it-out-Wedneday!

What’s on your agenda to work out?  One of my favorite MORSELITE’s has been working out some SOUPer recipes and in Morselicious fashion, they are vegan, gluten-free, low sodium & low sugar!  WHEE!!  LOVE that! And a reminder to keep your ideas for our DEFEAT DIABETES CONTEST coming!

Allow me to introduce the multi-talented, Reece!

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I have been extremely inspired by Mo and all of the healthy, tasty recipes she has posted over the past year.  She has also taught me to start really reading labels and being aware of what I am actually buying in the stores.  Because of this, I have been on a really fun ‘trip’ exploring all kinds of healthy cooking.  Lately, I have been on a soup craze.  It seems like every week, I create a different variation of a vegetable stock. I think you would all be surprised how incredibly easy and different they can be – and SO MUCH BETTER than anything you can buy in a store. One of these days, I will share a couple of tasty variations.

Today, I want to share a post great soup I came across.  One thing everyone can do is find a soup that sounds good and try to make it healthier.  My goal is low or no sodium, no sugar and Vegan.  It isn’t always easy, but I promise you there is a way to create something wonderful and tasty without crazy additives.

Recently, I came across a sweet potato soup that has a definite twist, inspired by the NUTSO-SWEET team:

NUTSO-SWEET Potato Soup 

Ingredients

1-2 tablespoons coconut (or canola) oil (try to avoid flavored oils like olive oil)

1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)

3 medium carrots, diced (about 1-1 1/2 cups)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 1/2 teaspoon)

1 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger (one of my new favorite ingredients)

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (approx. 3 cups)

6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 1/2 (14.5-ounce) cans no salt added diced tomatoes, with their juices

2/3-1 cup creamy natural (organic – no sugar added) peanut butter (this is the secret ingredient)

2 teaspoons honey (optional, but if you use honey, try to use a good organic brand)

1/2 cup chopped scallion greens (about 3 scallions)

Directions

Heat the oil in a large pot over a medium-high heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook, stirring often until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Add the black pepper, garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the sweet potato, broth, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.  Use a fork on the potatoes to make sure they are completely cooked through.

Puree the soup in the pot using an immersion blender or in a regular blender in 2 batches and return the soup to the pot*. Add the peanut butter and honey and stir, over low heat, until the peanut butter melts. Serve warm, garnished with the scallions.

I know the peanut butter is throwing some of you off, but give it a try!  I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

-Reece

A morselicious hint:

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

http://mo-themorselist.healthcoach.integrativenutrition.com/