curried sweet potato soup [whole30]

Ingredients

• 5 pounds sweet potatoes (about 3 large sweet potatoes), cubed*
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3-4 tbsp fat of choice (I used coconut oil)
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp mustard seeds (yellow or black)
• 1 tbsp Garam Masala
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (more/less depending on how spicy you like it)
• 6 cups stock
• 2 cans full-fat coconut milk
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• Optional garnishes: chopped cilantro and slices of lime

Instructions

1. I like to roast the sweet potatoes first, so after chopping them up, I dump them in a large bowl. I melted about 2 tbsp of coconut oil and poured them on the sweet potatoes. Add some salt and pepper to the sweet potatoes, and then stir the sweet potatoes around so that they're all covered in the coconut oil. Put them on a baking sheet, and pop in a 425°F oven for about 25 minutes.
2. Alternately, you can save that work and just put the sweet potatoes in the pot when the recipe says to put the roasted sweet potatoes in the pot. You may need to add another cup of stock, and you'll need to cook the soup longer - until the sweet potatoes are cooked through.
3. Add the remaining coconut oil to a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until they soften up.
4. Add the garlic, ginger, and all the spices. This soup has a lot going on, so, if you don't have all of the spices, or if you're just not a big fan of all of that spice, feel free to cut down on some of the spices or leave some out altogether. It will still be delicious if all you have is curry powder.
5. Continue to cook until the oil, onions, and spices make a sort of paste, about a minute or so.
6. Add the stock.
7. Add the sweet potatoes (either raw or from the oven - see #2 above).
8. Stir to combine, bring soup to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer. Continue cooking the soup for another ten minutes or so (longer if the sweet potatoes were raw).
9. Using an immersion blender (or pureeing in batches in a blender or food processor), puree the soup until smooth and creamy.

10. Add the two cans of coconut milk and stir to combine.
11. Serve and enjoy, using the optional garnishes if desired.

Notes