In the West we tend to eat far too many potatoes. Chips, crisps, then there's mashed potato, roast potatoes, potato waffles, curly fries and so on. So I thought about replacing regular potato in leek and potato soup with sweet potato and green chilli.I also included some beneficial herbs and spices like turmeric, ginger and garlic, which are normally not used in leek and potato soup and mineral-rich bone broth of course.
Some health benefits of Sweet Potato:
- They are a source of antioxidants beta-carotene, vitamin C and E, which help to prevent cell damage
- They contain manganese, an important co-factor of energy production and blood sugar management within the body
- They have a lot more fibre than regular potatoes, which helps to support digestion
- May be used in recipes instead of regular potatoes
Ingredients
3 leeks
2 sweet potatoes
1 green chilli
Juice from 1/4 - 1/2 a fresh lemon
1 garlic bulb
1 inch piece of fresh ginger
4 inch strip of kelp seaweed (optional)
3 cups of vegetable broth or bone broth
1 tablespoon organic butter ghee
Unprocessed salt such as Celtic sea salt or Himalayan salt to taste (optional)
Spices of choice, I used black pepper, turmeric, cumin and dried red chilli (optional)
Fresh or dried herbs of choice, I used oregano, marjoram and basil (optional)
Method
- Cut root off leeks and cut lengthwise. Fan each piece out and wash thoroughly. Chop into medium pieces
- Peel and wash sweet potato, chop into medium pieces
- Peel ginger and garlic, chop ginger into small pieces
- Melt ghee in a large pan and add chopped ginger and garlic. Gently fry until they start to soften.
Add a little water if the mixture starts sticking to the pan. - Add sweet potato and stir
- Add chopped leek, green chilli and pour over vegetable or bone broth
- Add salt to taste and spices of your choice .
I added Himalayan salt, turmeric powder, cumin and black pepper - Add seaweed if you are using it. I added a strip of kelp.
- Bring soup to the boil then turn heat down to a simmer. Cook until vegetables are tender
- Blend soup, add more broth or water to bring soup to your desired consistency
- Add herbs of your choice. I added dried oregano, marjoram, basil, some red chilli flakes and simmered for a few minutes more
- Just before serving I added the juice of 1/4-1/2 a lemon