Spicy Peanut Soup

Look at that colour!

 

It has been cold here in good ol' Flagstaff. Thursday's high, for example, is going to be a lovely 28 degrees. THE HIGH. 28 DEGREES. COLD! The wind blew hard all day yesterday, so I knew it was blowing in the storm. It's supposed to snow up to seven inches today, so let's hope it doesn't make the roads too messy.

Not a whole lot of ingredients needed, which is AWESOME!

 

Because it is winter time, I make a lot of soups and chili’s. I mostly do the cooking, which is fine, but also means that sometimes I try new things and they don't really work. I am much pickier than my partner, so he'll eat whatever it is regardless (at least so far), while I will just make myself some cereal and pout. It's what I do when things go wrong, and that's ok.

I really dislike peeling potatoes. But it does make a difference to do so.

 

But this soup, right here, is delicious. And it has a big enough kick on it to make your insides and outsides warm. The creamy sweet potatoes and the creamy peanut butter with a splash of spice is so very, very good. My partner is a... spice junkie. He loves his spicy food (ordering double Thai hot when we go out for our weekly Thai food, and then adding the spice tray to it... he loves hot hot hot), so this to me is really spicy, but I always leave out the hot sauce for him to add a little extra.

 

Cut them up small, as they take less time to cook

 

I have an issue with leftovers. Not really an issue, but just a dislike for leftovers.I don't like to eat the same thing over and over again. I tend to eat whatever I make for dinner one or two more times, and then I am done. I am over it. I don't want to eat it ANYMORE. But this soup is really good. Most of the soups and chili's I make I will eat more than twice, but it has to have turned out EXACTLY the way I want it to, or I just don't eat it. :)

Yes, this really is a hot sauce.

 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil

2 cups chopped onions

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger (I used ground ginger, and this works fine every time)

1 hot sauce (more if you like the heat!)

4 cups peeled chopped sweet potatoes (about 1 1⁄2 pounds whole)

3 cups water

3 cups tomato juice or Veggie juice--either work fine

1 cup smooth peanut butter

Warm the oil in a covered soup pot on medium heat.

Add the onions, salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent.

Stir in the ginger and hot sauce or hot pepper.

Add the sweet potatoes and water and stir well. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are very tender. Add the tomato juice and peanut butter to the pot. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until smooth.

Add more salt and hot sauce to taste.