...Oh! and did I mention that it's vegan too! It uses veggie broth and almond milk as the base. I baked the sweet potatoes in the oven before adding them in the broth. I just find that baking them brings out the caramelized flavor of the potatoes that I like. You could microwave the potatoes if you are pressed for time or you could even dice them up and boil them in the broth.
When prepping leeks, be sure to clean them properly! Leeks are grown in very sandy soil and I have never come across a leek that did not have dirt on the inside. I always do a double rinse using two mixing bowls and a slotted spoon. I use the slotted spoon to ensure that the sandy water at the bottom is not being dumped back on to of the clean leeks.
Anyway, here is the recipe. Enjoy!
Curried Sweet Potato and Leek Soup
Ingredients
4 cups of baked sweet potato
3 medium leeks, white and light green part only
2 tablespoons of Earth Balance Butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 garlic cloves, diced
2 tablespoons of all purpose flour
3 cups of vegetable stock
1 cup of almond milk
2 tablespoon of curry powder
1/2 tablespoon of sweet paprika
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Wrap sweet potatoes in foil and bake for 45 minutes at 400 degrees
2. While potatoes are baking prepare leeks. Cut the dark green top off and also cut of the bottom root end.
3. Slice down the center of the leek and dice. Also discard the top two outer layers. (they can be a little tough)
4. Add the diced leeks to a large bowl of clean water and rub the pieces to break them a part and loosen the dirt.
5. Use a slotted spoon to remove the leeks into the second bowl of clean water. And repeat the rubbing process. (You don't have to do a double rinse...I just do because I want to make sure that its clean)
6. Remove the leeks from the water and drain on a paper towel.
7. Add olive oil and butter to a dutch oven or soup pot over medium high heat.
8. Add diced leeks and salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.
9. Add diced garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
10. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes stiurring frequently. Be careful not to burn the flour.
11. Add in the cooked sweet potatoes, (make sure that you peel the skin from the potatoes before adding it into the pot) vegetable stock, almond milk, curry powder, and sweet paprika.
12. With a large spoon, spatula, or potato masher, smash the potatoes.
13. Bring to boil and then turn to low and cover the pot. Allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes.
14. Use and immersion or stand blender, blend until smooth.
15. Return mixture to pot. And Enjoy!!!
Makes 4-6 Servings
