Sweet Potato Soup

Though the temperatures in the Treasure Valley are still in the mid to low 90's, I've been craving fall foods! I cannot wait until the temperatures begin to cool, the breeze kicks up, and the leaves begin to turn. I love comforting fall foods like sweet potato soup, jambalaya, zuccini breads, acorn squash, etc. Here's a very versitile recipe that you can customize to whatever mood you're in:

Sweet Potato Soup

1 medium sweet onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbl olive oil

4 large carrots, peeled and sliced into 1" chunks

4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes

2 quarts chicken stock

salt

pepper

1. Heat oil in the bottom of a large stock pot. Add onion and garlic and cook on medium-low heat until onions are soft and just begin to turn brown. Add a little sprinkling of salt- this will help pull the moisture from the onion so it breaks down and caramelizes faster.
   
2. Add carrots, sweet potatoes, and chicken stock. Cover, bring to a boil. Once to a boil, remove the cover from the pot and simmer on low for about 20 minutes or until the carrots and sweet potatoes are soft.
3. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender or blend batches of the soup until smooth. Now flavor as desired and enjoy! If doing the sweet versions, you may need to add a bit of sugar.

Suggestions for flavors:

• fresh herbs such as rosemary or thyme
• Indian spiced (curry and ginger)
• Thai spiced (curry paste and coconut milk)
• Mexican spiced (cumin and chili powder)
• Sweet Spiced (cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar & cream-- serve with a spoonful of marshmallow fluff or a toasted marshmallow on top)
• Praline Pecan (make the sweet version and add toasted caramelized pecans to the top)