Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

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This is by far the creamiest,filling, most delicious soup I've made. I make it every Christmas eve and its a huge hit with the family. 

Yield- 3-4 Prep- 30 min Cook 50 min

Ingredients

·         2 Tbsp Ghee

·         1 cup chopped onion

·         2 celery ribs, chopped

·         1 medium leek, white and light green parts only.

·         1 clove garlic, chopped (1 teaspoon)

·         1 1/2 pounds red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams), peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 5 cups)

·         4 cups chicken stock (use vegetable broth for vegetarian option and gluten-free stock for gluten-free version)

·         1 cinnamon stick

·         1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

·         3/4 cup coconut cream

·         3/4 cup almond or coconut milk

·         2 Tbsp maple syrup

·         Salt

·         Pepper

·         A couple leafy tops of celery, chopped

Directions         

1. Using a large pot (I like my 7QT La Creuset dutch oven), on medium-high heat, melt the ghee.  Add the chopped onion and sauté for 5 minutes, or until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the chopped celery and leek, cooking until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook a minute more.

2. Now add the sweet potatoes, chicken stock, cinnamon stick, and nutmeg. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Once at a rolling boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and simmer until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Keep the top off while simmering or the soup will be too watery- let some of the liquid evaporate.

3. Important! Remove cinnamon stick before you puree. Use an immersion blender to purée the soup in the pan, or you can pour the soup in the blender a few batches at a time.

4. Pour all the soup back into the original pot ( if you blended it outside the pot) and mix in the cream, milk, and maple syrup to the soup, and heat on medium-low until the soup is heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. In my opinion it doesn’t need much.

5.Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with chopped celery tops to serve. Most of the time garnishes are optional but in my opinion the celery leaves add so much taste and crunch. Must have!

 

Adapted from http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/creamy_sweet_potato_soup/