Have I already told you that soups have a very special place in my heart? Just in case if you missed it–I do! I cannot go a few days without having a soup. There is something special and warming about drinking broth and chasing it with vegetable bites, especially on a windy, stormy day like we were having yesterday–65 mph wind gusts. If you let me, I would have soup every day. My husband, on the other hand, is a different story.
He was raised on mac’n’cheese, potatoes, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, burgers and steak. It was a miracle that he decided to change his diet to vegan! I don’t think he even knew what a soup was until he met me. For the last 13 years I have been chiseling away at him, looking for soups he might love. While he is still from becoming a soup lover, there are now a few soups he grew to love: split pea is by far his favorite; the it is borscht and chili, and anything that is thick to stand a spoon in upright or has noodles in it.
Imagine my surprise when I whipped up this sweet potato soup, really a bisque, which is a far cry from what is comfortable for his taste buds, and he loved it! I knew immediate I had a winner!
Sweet Potatoes–Health Benefits
I have an ongoing relationship with sweet potatoes that I am trying to improve on. While I like them, since I did not grow up eating them, I have to consciously remind myself to buy them when grocery shopping. They are not an item I reach for when my brain is switched onto my grocery shopping autopilot. But they really should be.
Sweet potatoes are one of the world’s healthiest foods! Just one cup of sweet potatoes provides 214% of daily recommended allowance of vitamin A, 52% of vitamin C and 50% of magnesium. In some studies, sweet potatoes have been shown to be a better source of bioavailable beta-carotene than green leafy vegetables, which makes it a great antioxidant food.
Sweet potatoes are also loaded with anti-inflammatory benefits and help to regulate blood sugar.
Wild yams and wild yam extract are considered to help balance a woman’s hormones and relieve symptoms during menopause.
There is one more thing sweet potatoes are touted for–contributing to increased longevity.
Okinawans, while residing in one of the most polluted places in the world, are known for their longevity. They enjoy the longest life expectancy in the world, and they also have one of the highest number of centenarians–people who have lived 100 years or more–about 50 centenarians per 100,000 people, compared to 20 per 100,000 in the US. That’s a huge difference!
What do you think Okinawans eat the most? You guessed it–sweet potatoes! In fact almost 70% of the calories in the traditional Okinawan diet, before 1960s, came from sweet potatoes. Here is what a traditional pre-1960 Okinawan diet looked like. (Source Willcox et al.)
Sweet potatoes (starch food!) made up nearly 70% of their diet, with a total carbohydrate intake of 85% of their diet, which left the remaining 15% to be split between other two macronutrients–fat (6%), and protein (9%). And they did just fine! Compare that to modern day American diet, where we have developed a case of carbophobia and gobble up to 35-40% of our diet from fat sources, upward of 25-35% from protein. Yet, cultures that embrace carbs live longer and are slimmer than we are.
But enough of science. By now, even if you don’t like sweet potatoes you might be willing to give them a try. So, let’s do just that! Let’s give them a try and start with a sweet potato soup. YUM!
It is carb based! But not to worry, protein lovers–vegetables (and all plant foods) are a great source of protein!
Prep is a breeze (printable recipe below). Chop.
Cook.
Blend.
And enjoy!
- 1 large Yam sweet potato (about 1 lb.)
- 1 medium-large size Russet potato
- 2 small-medium size carrots
- ½ yellow onion
- 1 garlic
- around 1 inch chunk of ginger root
- 2 cups almond milk
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- whole wheat or gluten free croutons for garnish (salty croutons will add amazing taste contrast to your experience)
- peel potatoes
- cut all vegetables into same size chunks or slices, so they cook evenly
- chop garlic
- peel ginger root
- add all ingredients to a cooking pot big enough to contain all, add milk and bring to boil
- cover with a lid, reduce heat to low/medium-low, and cook until vegetables are cooked through (about 10-15 minutes)
- remove from heat
- if you do not love ginger, remove it from the mix before proceeding, or keep only half of it
- transfer ingredients into a blender or a food processor, add lemon juice and blend until smooth
- garnish with salty crunchy croutons
- if you desire a thinner soup, add more almond milk
