Sweet Potato Peanut Bisque

My twin sister recently returned from a trip to Kenya, and of all the delicious food she tried and described to me, some familiar and some completely new, the one that stuck with me the most was peanut soup.  Maybe it's just because it's been getting colder here, but ever since she mentioned peanut soup I haven't stopped craving it!

One of the first recipes I came across in my search for peanut soup was this sweet potato peanut bisque from Eating Well.  Not only is it inspired by (West) African cuisine, but I also loved that it included sweet potatoes, which Gen had talked about during her trip, as apparently the sweet potatoes in Africa are much better than here!

I knew I'd love the recipe because I've already paired sweet potatoes and peanut butter together in two other African inspired recipes that I love: sweet potato and peanut stew and sweet potatoes with West African style peanut sauce.  If you're hesitant about the combination of sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and peanut butter, don't be!  It works!

I absolutely loved this soup and it satisfied my craving for something warm and comforting perfectly!  The flavours all worked so well together and the bisque was so thick and creamy while still being healthy.  The addition of the green chile made this really spicy, which I liked, but you can definitely cut down the amount of chiles for less spice, or use a dash of cayenne at the end to more easily control the amount of spice you add.

While this soup is (supposed to be) more reflective of West African cuisine, if you'd like to read about the food my sister enjoyed in Kenya (in East Africa), along with some cute safari animal pictures, you should check out her blog post about it!

Sweet Potato Peanut Bisque

Adapted from Eating Well

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato (around 12 ounces), peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

Pinch of cinnamon

Salt and pepper

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1/2 to 1 small green chile, minced (use half a chile for less spice, I used a whole green chile and the soup was quite spicy)

1/2 teaspoon allspice (I used 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon + 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg + 1/8 teaspoon cloves)

1-1/2 cups strained crushed tomatoes (or just crushed tomatoes if you can’t find strained)

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

Chopped cilantro and peanuts for garnish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F.  Toss chopped sweet potato with 1 tablespoon olive oil, cinnamon, and season with salt and pepper.  Spread on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast in preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, heat remaining tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add onions and sauté until softened and beginning to brown, stirring often, about 4-5 minutes.  Add garlic, ginger, chiles, and allspice, and cook, stirring, for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Stir in crushed tomatoes, reduce heat to simmer, and let simmer gently for 10 minutes.

Add vegetable stock and peanut butter to the tomato sauce.  Transfer half the sauce along with half of the roasted sweet potatoes to a blender and puree until smooth (you don't want to fill the blender too high with hot liquid so blend it in two batches).  Puree the remaining half the sauce, then pour all the puree back into the saucepan to heat.  Add the remaining half of the sweet potatoes to the soup and cook over low heat until heated through.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve and garnish with chopped cilantro and peanuts.

Apple Pie Smoothie

When I first heard of an apple pie smoothie, I was amazed – Could it be true that in only a few minutes you can whip up a guilt-free, drinkable version of apple pie? The answer: YES!

I created my own version of an apple pie smoothie that smells and tastes just like apple pie – it’s soo good! Not only is it easy and quick to make, but it’s also pretty healthy – in addition to the apple, it contains non-fat yogurt, almond milk, spices (did you know cinnamon is good for you?), and just a teaspoon of sugar. I only used a small amount of cooking spray instead of butter to cook the apples, but if you want to save those extra few calories you could try the microwave method from How Sweet It Is and let me know how it works! You could also play around with the ingredients to make it even healthier by adding protein powder for a more substantial breakfast, or add some spinach for added nutrition to turn it into a Green Monster!

The hardest part about making this smoothie is waiting for it to cool before you can drink it, since it smells so good after you blend it. I stuck mine in the freezer to speed up the process but it was still torture waiting for it to cool down! When it was ready I gulped it down in what seemed like seconds, then immediately regretted not taking my time to enjoy it more. I guess that means I’ll have to make it again asap!

Apple Pie Smoothie

Serves 1

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
1 cup chopped peeled apple (about 1 small apple)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
1/2 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup vanilla almond milk (if you don’t have vanilla milk, use regular milk and add a bit of vanilla extract to the smoothie)
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of allspice

Directions:

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat, and spray with cooking spray. Add the diced peeled apple, along with the brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Cook until apples are lightly browned and soft, stirring often, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer the mixture to a blender.

Add vanilla yogurt, vanilla almond milk, nutmeg, allspice, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to the blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer smoothie to fridge or freezer to cool before drinking. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon if desired.