peanut-yam soup

Recently, I attended a potluck where this was far and away the star dish. Everyone, myself included, raved about it. The chef confessed it was from a Moosewood cookbook, and I immediately went online to look for it and attempt to replicate it.

I ate leftovers of it today for both lunch and dinner and I'm still excited about it.

Anyway, here's the recipe. It's a little messy to make but totally worth it. And it makes a lot so you can freeze some for later. Or just bring it all to a potluck and show up everyone else.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil or 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh gingerroot (you can peel ginger with the back of a spoon, if you had not already learned that from the Food Network!) 
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 2 cups chopped sweet potatoes (up to 1 cup white potatoes can be substituted)
• 4 cups vegetable stock or 4 cups water (I used half stock and half water, cuz I ran out of vegetable stock. It was fine)
• 2 cups tomato juice
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon sugar (optional... I used honey)
• 1 cup chopped scallions or 1 cup chives  (I didn't use these)

 So... first cut everything. I tried to cut it as I went along and it ended up a little chaotic. Then start sauteeing the onions in the bottom of your soup pot for a few minutes. Then add the cayenne and ginger. Then add the carrots and sautee for a few MORE minutes. Then add the sweet potatoes (and regular potatoes if you are using them) and the stock or water and bring everything to a boil, then let it simmer for 15 minutes.

Then blend all of that with the tomato juice with a food processor or immersion blender if you have one, or with a shitty regular blender if you are like me.

Ugh it looks disgusting in this phase. It gets better, I swear!

After it's blended, put it back in the soup pot and stir in the peanut butter. Taste it and add sugar or honey if you think it needs it. (I did.)

Then eat it because it will be so delicious!! Oh yeah and the recipe called for topping it with fresh chopped chives or scallions, but I had it that way at the potluck and I personally feel like it's better without them. But you can add them if you think you will like them.

Mmmm!

Seriously, I know I said the other spicy sweet potato soup recipe was the best soup ever, but I think this is the NEW best soup ever until further notice.

Sweet Potato Casserole

I grew up in New England, but between the years 2000 and 20006 I lived in Virginia. For the most part, Virginia is "southern" and they sure eat that way. One of the delicious treats I discovered while there was Sweet Potato Casserole. My mom doesn't like sweet potatoes, so this was never even offered to us. This stuff is super sweet and delicious. I make it once a year, on Thanksgiving. This year, I have been asked to bring two batches because everyone loves it so much.

This recipe is my friend's mom recipe and it is amazing.

Jean's Sweet Potatoe Casserole

3 cups of cooked mashed sweet potatoes (I'm with Renata, just cut up 3 SP and call it a day)
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs beaten
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all together (add vanilla last)

Topping
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup melted butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Bake in lasagna pan at 350 for 35 minutes

Enjoy!

AMAZING spicy sweet potato soup

OK this is from The Student's Go Vegan Cookbook, which called it "Chilean Two-Potato Soup" but I renamed it spicy sweet potato soup. I doubt it's even from Chile. Whatev. It was reallllly good. Probably the best soup I've ever made. Maybe the best soup I've ever eaten. So good.

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup minced onion (I just used 1 average sized onion, IDK if it was 1/2 a cup or not)
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 cup diced sweet potato (again, I just used 1 sweet potato. Who the fuck would cut up a potato, measure out a cup, and then save the rest? For what? Whatev.)
• 1 diced red potato
• 1 4-oz can green chilies
• 1 cup corn kernels (I used a little can)
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp thyme (but I didn't have any)
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (but I didn't have any so I used a couple shakes of crushed red pepper)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Fresh lemon or lime juice

Heat the oil in the bottom of a big pot and sautee the onion and garlic for a few minutes, then throw in everything else except the lemon juice. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes ish. Add a little lemon juice to the soup as you serve it. (Except I didn't do that part either because FUCK LEMON JUICE. Yeah, I said it.)

 This is perfect for the winter. Warm and filling and spicy and colorful. Make it today! Make it RIGHT NOW.