Curried Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup

I didn't intend to share this recipe with you.  It wasn't on my list of things to try for the blog.  It was actually just the dinner I made on a rainy Sunday evening.  But, seeing as it turned out really well, I snapped a few pictures and here we are. 

If you know me well, you know that I am not the biggest fan of soup.  I don't really like the thin brothy ones that I have to try to slurp from a spoon, but only end up splashing everywhere.  I also tend to get bored while eating them, wishing I had something to chomp on every now and then.  And, I abhor any kind of store-bought soup.  So, that leaves me with making my own every now and then.  I like substantial soups that tend to be a bit chunky.  I want to be able to chew a bite every now and then instead of just swallowing my entire meal.  I had been planning on making a curried sweet potato and coconut milk soup for some time, but was waiting for the temperatures to drop a bit.  This past weekend, we got a cool front and quite a bit of rain so it was perfect soup weather.  I remembered seeing a smoky red lentil soup in Sara & Hugh's new cookbook, so I decided to sort of merge the two based on what I had. 

This is probably one of my favorite soups to date.  It's slightly sweet from the coconut milk and sweet potatoes with a nice bit of heat from the curry powder and paprika.  I left it a bit chunky so that there are nice veggie bits to chew.  And, I would seriously consider the garnishes I list below because they take the soup to the next level as well as rounding out the flavors. 

On a completely different note, I have something in the works for Sweet Miscellany that will be taking a lot of my time in the near future.  I'll share the news here as soon as I can.  I hope to still have time to post a recipe here at least once a week, but I will go ahead and apologize now if I fall behind. 

Curried Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup
slightly adapted from here
notes: part of the reason my version of the soup varies so much from the one in the Sprouted Kitchen Cookbook is because it was based on what I had and what I wanted to use.  Please feel free to do the same based on what you have available.  If you don't have time to roast a sweet potato beforehand, you can sub in about 3/4 cup of sweet potato puree. 

1 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
1 small/medium red onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 to 4 marconi peppers, diced (or any other sweet pepper)
1 large garlic clove, chopped
2 cups vegetable stock (I used one vegan veggie bouillon cube dissolved in 2 cups boiling water)
2/3 cup coconut milk (about 1/2 of a can)
1 cup red lentils, rinsed
1 tsp paprika (I used Hungarian paprika)
1 tbsp curry powder
flesh from 1 small/medium roasted sweet potato
salt/pepper to taste

optional garnishes: sliced green onions, plain thick yogurt, fresh lemon juice

Heat the oil over medium in a heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven.  Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the carrots and cook until they just start to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add the peppers and cook a few more minutes, then add the garlic and cook for about a minute.  Next, add the lentils, paprika, curry powder, vegetable stock, coconut milk, and a good pinch of salt and pepper.  Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer and cover for 15 minutes until the lentils are cooked through.  Add in the sweet potato, then puree the soup with an immersion blender or a regular blender.  You can make it as chunky or as smooth as you like.  Taste the soup, then adjust with more salt and pepper if needed.  If it seems too thick, you can thin it out with a bit more vegetable stock, coconut milk, or water.  Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt, sliced green onions, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.  Makes 4 servings.  Enjoy!