Sweet Potato Kale Soup

I have recently been trying to add new vegetables to our usual assortment of dinners. We certainly aren't Vegan but we have many meatless meals in our house. I have been making sure we eat a wide assortment of colorful veg. Well I have been buying kale for awhile but have only added it to our green smoothies. Sweet potatoes are a recent addition to our regular diet.  So when I saw this recipe for Sweet Potato Kale soup I decided I had to give it a try. I don't know how I ended up on this blog. It isn't one I usually read so it must have been a link from a different blog. But this is where I got the recipe. I am trying to be better about remembering where I get my recipes so when I share them I can give credit where it is due.

Kale and Sweet Potato Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, chopped fine

3/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon crushed red peppers

3/4 pound kale, tough stems removed  and roughly chopped

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (yams), peeled and diced into 3/4-inch cubes

1 1/2 quart chicken or vegetable broth

1 teaspoon salt

fresh ground pepper, to taste

1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk

2 cups cooked brown rice

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and cook down until tender and translucent, about five minutes.  Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric and crushed red pepper flakes.  

Cook, stirring, for about 1 minutes.

Add the sweet potato chunks and stir.

Add the chicken or vegetable broth and bring to a simmer.

Add the kale once the broth is simmering and submerge all of the leaves, helping them to cook down.

Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes have become tender.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Lastly, stir in coconut milk, heat through and serve over a bed of brown rice.

 I don't usually have coconut milk in my pantry so I had to remember to get some the next grocery trip. And I admit I didn't have the crushed red pepper flakes so I just chopped up a red pepper and sauteed it with the onion. I also used dried garlic and ginger. I don't use ginger all that often and my garlic was all gone. So I made due with what I had and it still tasted wonderful. Tumeric is such a flavorful spice!

Now my kids did not eat this willingly. They always take a few bites and drink the broth but it will take me serving it a few times before they embrace it. Even then it may not be something they look forward to.  They did love the corn bread I made.  I know... corn bread isn't the greatest side dish to serve this with. But it sounded good on this rainy Sunday and I knew if my kids didn't eat their soup they would eat that. It was also a good ensentive to get them to try the bit of soup they did eat.

My husband and I loved it!

I love finding new ways to add healthy foods into our diets. And soup is becoming one of my best experiments!