Curried Sweet Potato Soup

Every Fall I love to get out my sweaters and soup recipes and get all cozy. I've seen tons of soup blogs as of late. Soups are wonderful ways to feed your family nutritious food in a sneaky way. The only way my kids would ever eat a parsnip is in a soup. Speaking of parsnips, I want to share with you my favorite Fall soup from a nifty little blog called "Not Eating Out in New York."

Curried Sweet Potato Soup
(makes 2-3 servings)

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut to 1″ pieces
1 medium parsnip, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1-2 teaspoons hot curry powder
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy pot, cook the onions with the butter on low for about 5 minutes, stirring. Add the parsnips, chopped rosemary, a pinch each of salt and pepper and continue on low to cook another 5-6 minutes. Reduce heat if onions begin to brown. Add the sweet potatoes and stock, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 30 minutes.

Use a hand food processor to blend soup into a creamy, almost-smooth consistency (I prefer to have just a few tiny lumps, but not many). Or, transfer to a food processor and blend in batches. Return to low heat, and add a bit of the curry powder, some salt and a little pepper. Taste for seasoning, and add more curry and/or salt according to taste. Add the milk and stir until completely heated through. Adjust seasoning if desired. Garnish with optional fresh herbs (such as parsley) and serve.

Cost Calculator
(for 2-3 servings)

2 sweet potatoes (at $1/lb): $1.00
1 parsnip (at $2.50/lb): $0.25
1 small onion (at $1.25/lb): $0.30
2 cups homemade chicken stock: $0.25
1 cup milk: $0.60
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (at $2/bunch): $0.25
2 teaspoons curry powder, salt and pepper: $0.40
2 tablespoons butter (at $4/lb): $0.25

Total: $3.30

Health Factor

One brownie point: I can’t think of anything bad to say about this recipe, health-wise. Who knew that parsnips were more nutritionally dense than their vibrant cousins, carrots? And along with sweet potato, we’re talking Vitamin A, potassium and fiber to the max, plus B-vitamins, Vitamin C, folate and calcium (and that’s not counting the milk in this recipe). Despite their strong flavors, sweet potatoes and parsnips happen to be relatively low in calories and arehighly recommended complex carbohydrates. How did that happen??