Soup Time

Fall not only marks the beginning of me being in a more pleasant mood, but also the return of soups to my life. As I've recounted on numerous occasions, my tolerance for hot foods in the summer months is minimal at best. But in the fall/winter months, I love nothing more than nestling up with a warm bowl on the couch. 

Last week a colleague shared with me the recipe for one of her favorite soups from Whole Foods. She began by describing the recipe as having kale and sweet potato in it...I was instantly sold. So, after picking up some goodies at the farmers market over the weekend I was ready to get to it. The original recipe was made on the stove, but since I've been anxiously awaiting the chance to break out my crock pot, I threw everything in there and let the wondrous pot work it's magic. As you may recall, I'm fairly new to crock pot cooking (my receipt of said crock pot from Santa was part of the inspiration for starting this blog) and was ready to get back into the game. It did not disappoint, and despite what I read on several websites, I didn't have any problem with needing to adjust the amount of liquid in the original recipe. And as the grand finale, I got to use my beloved hand mixer! It was a good day in my kitchen!

Sweet Potato and Kale Soup

Ingredients
[Adapted from Whole Foods]

• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• 1 sprig fresh thyme, minced
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 5 cups vegetable broth or water
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 3 cups chopped kale leaves
• Salt and ground white pepper, to taste

Pre-Cooking

Preparation

1. Combine above ingredients in crock pot, cook on high for 4-6 hours (until veggies are tender)
2. Using hand blender, puree veggies until desired consistency. Serve with whole grain bread for dipping

Ready to be blended