Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

Got leftover cooked sweet potatoes or butternut squash ? 

Make this spicy sweet potato soup in the blender in just minutes. Serve topped with a drizzle of full bodied coconut milk (or any nut milk) and some diced avocado and you have a company worthy bowl of soup that is colorful and healthy.

I am notorious for making fast and easy vegan soups. This wonderful  soup is no exception and of course is naturally gluten free and oil-free!

I  simply peel and blend left over cooked and cooled sweet potatoes, some mild salsa, and some good tasting vegetable broth in the blender until smooth. I then top each bowl with a little coconut milk and chunks of avocado.  I make the soup in just three minutes and another 2 minutes to garnish.

I like to eat it at room temperature- or if you use a Vitamix you can use the soup function, or just re-heat it slowly in a pot.  Do you know about foods with resistant starch ?

I feel good eating this soup because of it's powerful health benefits

Cooked and Cooled Sweet Potatoes Contain Resistant Starch 
When cooked and cooled,  sweet potatoes ( and rice and white potatoes)  provide what is known as " resistant starch " which provides the body with excellent fiber, good carbs, and especially absorb-able nutrients. In addition, research is indicating that this type of starch plays an important  role in cancer prevention, See article on Everything You Need to Know About Resistant Starch that I found by Yuri Elkaim.

Concerned about blood sugar?
In his article Yuri Elkaim says, "Numerous studies have shown that when resistant starches are added to a meal or consumed for a short time,  a person’s blood sugar is lowered and their level of insulin release is decreased." 

How to cook your sweet potato 

According to many sources, the best way to cook a sweet potato is to boil or steam it to create resistant starch. You can boil or steam them on the stove or use your little steamer basket in the Instapot to pressure cook on 16 minutes for a medium potato. 

You can cook  a sweet potato in the Instant Pot in 16 minutes

Overall, you will enjoy this ease, the delicious taste, and the health benefits of this super food soup!

Author: Judee Algazi @ Gluten Free A-Z Blog
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Cook Time: None ( unless you want to re heat it) 
Serves: 2 bowls 

Ingredients: 

1 large sweet potato, cooked, cooled and peeled
4 tablespoons of mild salsa (use medium if you like the heat) 
2 cups of flavorful vegetable broth. 
2 tablespoons of diced avocado (1 tablespoon for each bowl)
2 tablespoons of coconut or any nut milk per bowl

Directions: 
Cut cooked sweet potato into chunks and place in the blender. Add the salsa and vegetable broth. Blend until smooth.  Pour contents into two soup bowls, Divide the coconut milk and diced avocado between the bowls. Drizzle the coconut milk or any nut milk and top with the avocado.

My notes: 
1. This soup can be eaten at room temperature or reheated, For best benefits from the resistant starch re-heat slowly and do not boil.
2. I placed the coconut/nut milk in a baggy and snipped off the edge . Then slowly drizzled over the soup.
3. I find Tabatchnick Brand garden vegetable broth the tastiest..( available in the kosher section of most supermarkets)
4. This soup is parve so it's a perfect match with any menu
5. Want a bigger pot of soup ? Ratio- 1 large sweet potato and 4 Tablespoons salsa and 2 cups of broth per 2 bowls of soup- Want to make this soup for 8 people? Multiply everything by four.
6. I get my salsa at Aldi- It's organic and reasonably priced



Linking to Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking 

This post is also linked to Souper Sunday 

Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor and I am not trying to diagnose or treat disease. Always check with your medical doctor before making changes in your diet. The information in this post and on this blog is for educational purposes only. ( I do not endorse Yuri Elkaim- just found his post and am sharing)