PEANUT SOUP, SWEET AND SPICY
This soup has exotic African origins but the ingredients are all comfortably familiar; chances are you already have everything on hand you need to make it. Its sweetness, from sweet potato and carrot, is heightened with honey and balanced with the clarity of ginger and hot pepper. Peanut butter brings it all together and makes it extra rich and satisfying. And don't forget the fresh scallions. Much more than a pretty garnish, they add an essential zingy freshness and crunch.
Serves 6
Serving Size: 1 1/2 Cups
Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
• 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 medium carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
• 1 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed (2 cups)
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• One 14.5-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, with their juices
• 2/3 cup creamy natural peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/2 cup chopped scallion greens (about 3 scallions)
Directions
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and carrots and cook, stirring, until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Add the cayenne, black pepper, garlic, and ginger and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the sweet potato, broth, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
Puree the soup in the pot using an immersion blender or in a regular blender in two batches and return the soup to the pot. Add the peanut butter and honey and stir, over low heat, until the peanut butter melts. Serve warm, garnished with the scallions.
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