Mexican Sweet Potato Soup

Fall is in the air and I couldn't be happier. Not only because I am that much closer to finishing my program up in January, but also because I'm obsessed with the abundance of root vegetables that defines the fall season. Colorful, earthy, hearty, soulful, versatile... beets, carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips, radishes, rutabagas, the list goes on. Sweet potatoes were my root vegetable of choice this week from the market and what better way to kick off fall then with a delicious soup?! Sweet potatoes (which are not even in the same family as regular potatoes, surprisingly) are loaded with vitamin A from the orange-licious beta-carotene, vitamin C, fiber and tons of other important vitamins and minerals, which make it no surprise that sweet potatoes are considered one of the most nutritious vegetables in the world! But more importantly, sweet potatoes just plain taste good, they are cheap, and they are so so so versatile... a true staple in my kitchen. So here's a super simple and flavorful soup to celebrate the changing of the seasons, the wonderful autumn harvest, the onset of cooler weather, back to school time, or whatever it is you have to celebrate in your life!

MEXICAN SWEET POTATO SOUP

Ingredients:

1 tblsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup carrots and celery (traditional/optional soup starters- adds good flavor)

3 large (or 4 medium) sweet potatoes, chopped

6-8 cups vegetable broth (I used my own homemade vegetable broth... more to come on that, but you can used store brought, preferably low sodium)

1 bay leaf

Spices: salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, paprika, cilantro, cayenne (if you like it hot!)

Chipotle hot sauce (optional)

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring often until softened.

2. Add the sweet potatoes and cover with vegetable broth. Add the bay leaf, and spices/hot sauce (a few dashes of each, depending on your preferences and what you have).

3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the sweet potatoes are soft (~20-30min).

4. Use an immersion hand mixer or blender to blend the soup until smooth and creamy. 

5. Adjust the taste with spices/hot sauce to your liking. You can also add milk or yogurt for extra creaminess. Top with a sprig of parsley or cilantro, maybe a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, and enjoy! 

Cranberries!

Even after all the cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, I still can't get enough of cranberries during this time of year.  Cranberries are so festive, colorful and nutrient-rich, loaded with vitamin C and tons of antioxidants and phytonutrients.  They are anti-inflammatory, help support the immune system,  protect against UTIs and many cancers, and much more. Good excuses to keep eating those cranberries all winter long :-) That being said, I would try to stay away from the canned version (too loaded with sugar and who knows what) instead use fresh cranberries whenever possible (dried are also great and really convenient).  Here are two different recipes- the first using the last of my leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving (courtesy of my mommy!) and the second using fresh cranberries in a cornbread. So yummy! And I still have some fresh cranberries left over, so more recipes to come!

1. MASHED SWEET POTATOES WITH CRANBERRY SAUCE

Ingredients:

3-4 sweet potatoes

1 tblsp real butter

splash of milk

1/2 cup cranberry sauce

Directions: 

1. Wash the sweet potatoes, dice into small squares and steam in a large pot until soft (about 15-20min). 

2. Add butter and milk and mash together with a fork or potato masher.

3. Add in cranberry sauce and mix until well combined. Add a pinch of salt to bring out the flavor.

4. Serve as a side dish with your next meal and enjoy! I ate it with some sauteed kale with onions, which was such a delicious and colorful combination!

2. CRANBERRY CORNBREAD

Ingredients:

1 box store-bought cornbread mix (or make your own cornbread from scratch!) 

1 egg

1/3 cup almond milk (so delicious and a great dairy substitute, even in baking)

3/4 cup fresh cranberries, halved

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Follow instructions on back on box to make cornbread by adding egg and milk and mixing well.
3. Stir in cranberries and pour into a greased baking pan or muffin pan.

4. Bake about 12-15 minutes or until slightly golden brown.
5. When done, cut into squares and top with some real butter and a drizzle of local honey :-) Enjoy!

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Rice Bowl

One of my favorite go-to dinners is a mexican rice bowl of sorts with any kind of veggies and beans thrown in and topped with salsa and cheese.  It is so easy and fun because you just toss in whatever you have on hand (this is a great idea for leftovers!), add some mexican flare to it and boom- you have a tasty and well-balanced one-bowl meal.  This time I wanted to make it extra special and seasonal by adding roasted sweet potatoes and fresh black beans that I got from the farmers market. Sweet potatoes are such a sweet treat during the fall, a staple of my diet, as well as at my family's thanksgiving dinner. They are an excellent source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients, such as vitamins A, C and B6, manganese, potassium, iron and fiber; but even more importantly the taste is out of this world and they add so much color to any meal. This rice bowl is especially colorful with the brown rice, black beans, bright orange sweet potatoes and red salsa. So pretty it was hard to take a bite out of... okay maybe it wasn't that hard :-)

SWEET POTATO AND BLACK BEAN RICE BOWL

INGREDIENTS:
(makes about 4 servings)
2-3 medium sweet potatoes
1-2 tblsp olive oil
salt/pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
2 cups of black beans, cooked (preferably from fresh or dry, but canned works)
4 cups of brown rice, cooked
Additional toppings (be creative!): salsa, hot sauce, shredded cheese, cilantro

DIRECTIONS: 
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wash and chop sweet potatoes into bite-size cubes. Arrange on a cookie sheet and cover with olive oil and spices.

3. Roast for about 30-40 minutes until golden brown.
4. Heat up the black beans and rice and portion into bowls.
5. Add the sweet potatoes once they are done roasting and top with salsa, cheese and any additional seasonings to make it your own personalized mexican rice bowl- just the way you like it! ENJOY!