March 20, 2012 

Spice up Spring with Soup
Bring some bright color to the table this season with a soup that’s anything but ordinary. Sweet potatoes get their rich orange color from carotenoids, phytochemicals that studies show help fend off cancer and heart disease while protecting your vision, immune system and skin.  Coconut milk adds a sweet, tropical flavor to the soup, even used in small amounts like this to keep the saturated fat down. Bring it all together with a kick of curry paste and enjoy this soup hot or lukewarm with a simple chicken salad. 

Spicy Sweet Potato Bisque

4 cups fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped

1/4 tsp. green or red Thai curry paste

2 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes (Garnet, Jewel or Louisiana), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices

1 cup water

1/2 cup regular or reduced-fat coconut milk

1/ 4 cup orange juice

Salt and ground black pepper

1 lime, zested for garnish 

Pour 1/4 cup of broth into large, deep saucepan. Add onion and garlic, set over medium-high heat, and cook until onion is translucent, 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add ginger, jalapeño, and curry paste and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is soft and most of the moisture has evaporated, 2 minutes. 

Add remaining broth to pot. Add sweet potatoes and 1 cup water. Bring liquid to boil, reduce heat to simmer, and cook, covered, until sweet potatoes are soft, 20 minutes. Uncover and let soup cool for 10 minutes. 

Using immersion blender, puree until soup is pulpy. Add coconut milk and orange juice, and puree until soup is velvety smooth. Or, puree soup in blender; this may require two batches, with half juice and coconut milk added to each batch. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. 

To serve, divide soup among 6 wide, shallow bowls. Garnish each serving with about 1/4 teaspoon of grated lime zest. Serve hot or lukewarm. 

Makes 6 servings (about 1 1/2 cups per serving; makes 8 1/2 cups). 

Per serving: 238 calories, 5 g total fat (4 g saturated fat), 43 g carbohydrate,
7 g protein, 6 g dietary fiber, 155 mg sodium.