Fighting Off the Post Holiday Cold: Sweet Potato-Poblano Soup

Hope everyone enjoyed their holidays! I spent mine with family and lots of good food. It seems like this month has flown by, how did we get to the end of December already? All of this fun and not-so-healthy eating has caught up to me though and I can feel my body heading towards a cold. So far I have kept it at bay though with lots of rest, fluids and this healthy recipe here. So if your feeling the way I am, lay down and guilt someone into making this soup for you!

I recently read that onions and garlic are supposed to be some of the best foods for you when you feel you are coming down with a cold due to their anti-inflammatory properties among other benefits. With this most recent cold episode I’m having, there may be some truth to this. This soup has onions, garlic and a ton of other healthy vegetables. Plus it will clear out your sinuses due to the kick the poblano and spices add.  You’ll be feeling better in no time!

Sweet Potato-Poblano Soup

Adapted From: True Food by Andrew Weil

1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 onion, diced

½ corn kernels

1 small carrot, diced

1 small fennel bulb, diced

4 garlic cloves, mashed

1 poblano chile, seeded and diced

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp oregano

½ tsp ground turmeric

½ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp black pepper

½ salt

½ cup white wine

14oz unsweetened coconut milk

¼ cup chopped cilantro

2 scallions, chopped

Heat your broiler and toss potato, onion, corn, carrot, fennel, garlic, poblano and oil on a large baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Broil for 12 minutes, tossing halfway through. Vegetables should be a bit browned. Add vegetables to a pot and stir in spices & wine with 3 quarts of water. Bring to a simmer on medium-high heat. Reduce heat and let the soup simmer for 45 minutes. Remove the soup from heat and add the coconut milk. Top the soup with cilantro and scallions for a garnish.

On a side note, I recently discovered that when I delete pictures off of my Picasa account, it deletes them on my blog as well. Whoops! I’ve fixed a few but I’ve solved the problem for the future. New Years Resolution #243, become a little more tech savvy. I’ll be posting Tuesday with a few healthy links to get you started on some of your resolutions. Have a wonderful New Years everyone!