Beet & Sweet Potato Soup

Going to work everyday is never going to be my favourite thing to do.  I'd happily stay home with my kids and give back to the community in different ways if it were up to me.  Unfortunately for me, the life we have built relies on me bringing home a pay cheque and thus my dreams of baking muffins every morning and feeding the homeless go unrealized.  Truthfully, if I must work, I am exactly where I want to be.  Surrounded by amazing co-workers and a job that both challenges and satisfies me, I have no reason to complain.

It surprises me how often co-workers share with me a recipe they have made.  Some I quickly write down and others I politely listen to their passion while realizing it's not something I'm crazy about (think canned soup, pork chops and stuffing from a box).  Once and awhile someone will bring a sample to share and that was the case with this soup.  I would have told you I am the queen of all soups and that you likely couldn't surprise me with a flavour unknown to me.  Of course there are always tweaks and seasoning to play around with, but my sense was I had seen or tasted most combinations.

No one likes to be wrong, but in this instance I was so glad that I was.  Never had I thought to put sweet potatoes and beets together!  Coconut milk and tumeric too; are you kidding me?  If the recipe had been shared on paper, I'm not sure I would have made it.  Maybe.  But to have a sample delivered, minutes before my lunch break was the perfect circumstance.  I've made this a few times since trying her version, both with a secret ingredient and without.

 

When I tasted that soup I knew there was something in it I had never tasted before.  After a little questioning I learned that she had added the spice condiment known as Vegeta.  I was surprised to find this in my local small supermarket.  It's a little bit like a vegetable bouillon but without the artificial taste.  If you can get your hands on some, I recommend adding it.  In its absence, you could go the bouillon route or simply a little more salt at the end.  Lastly, although the bowl looks an awful lot like a big pile of ketchup, it truly does taste amazing.  I hestitated whether to share it here simply because it looks so lousy.  Taste won out and you can too.

Beet & Sweet Potato Soup

2 large sweet potatoes

2 large beets

4 cups water

1-2 Tbsp coconut oil

1 large onion chopped

1 clove garlic minced

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp tumeric

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne

2 tsps Vegeta (optional)

1 can coconut milk

salt/pepper

Preheat oven to 400degrees.  Place beets and sweet potatoes in a roasting pan, lightly greased with oil of your choice (I used coconut).  Bake in oven until tender, about 1 hour, but it will depend on the size of your vegetables.  Remove from pan and allow to cool.  Add 4 cups water to roasting pan and scrape up any browned bits.  Reserve.  Peel and chop the beets and sweet potatoes.  Reserve.

In a large dutch oven melt coconut oil on medium high heat.  Add onions and saute until translucent, about 5 min.  Add garlic, and spices and stir until fragrant, about 1 min.  Add water from roasting pan, Vegeta (if using) and chopped vegetables.  Simmer on medium low heat about 15min.  Remove from heat and puree in batches until smooth.  Add coconut milk and stir until combined.  Reheat gently and serve with a generous grind of sea salt and/or pepper.  Enjoy!