Sweet Potato

Most of of think of sweet potatoes as a concoction made for a Thanksgiving feast that is swimming in marshmallow, sugar and who knows what else. Actually the sweet potato is quite a healthy food. It is the Paleo substitute for the potato...................and so much more! It is a good source of dietary fiber, high in antioxidants rich in Vitamin E and beta-carotene. They also have a low glycemic index which is characterized by slow absorption, and a modest rise in blood sugar (glucose). They are good source of Potassium which is important in maintaining electrolyte balance in the body.

I bought two large bags of  organic sweet potatoes over the holidays and have been eating them baked, mashed and oven roasted. These are all yummy. Today though, I was looking at Melissa Jouluan's website: theclothesmakethegirl and found a recipe that was intriguing. You can find her recipe for Sweet Potato Soup With Bacon: www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2013/12/28/15-popular-recipes-2013/

I have been reading Melissa's Paleo cookbook: Well Fed Paleo Recipes For People Who Love To Eat. I got it for Christmas and have already tried a couple of her recipes and they were quite yummy. Since I had all the ingredients for the Sweet Potato soup except for the Ras el Hanout (a spice mix on her website and in her book) I forged ahead. I did have all the spices on hand to follow her recipe for the Ras el Hanout and made that up. As you can see from the photo it is quite a complex array of spices. I am going to have to say that the soup would not be the same without this ingredient so I highly suggest if you try her recipe you make up a batch of this. Her book has quite a few other uses for it so it is well worth the time to mix up some.

 The finished soup is indeed yummy. The rest of the family is not Paleo and they had pizza. I had the bowl of soup and it was awesome! I did not have yellow or white onions so I used red onions. I also did not have chives so I used green onions for a garnish. Not only was the soup very good, it was also filling as that is all I had and I felt quite satisfied. The flavor is quite complex with the amazing mixture of spices. I have enough soup to freeze for lunches to take to work.