Nutty Sweet Potato Soup

I love slow cooker recipes, not only are they easy to make but you don't have to be there when it's cooking. This recipes wasn't originally a slow cooker recipe. I got the recipe from Ellie Krieger, which was initially a one pot soup that took about 30 minutes of cooking time. However I needed a slow cooker recipe and wanted to come home to something comforting, so I just threw it all in the slow cooker and hoped for the best when I got home. I am glad to say that when I got home the soup was delicious and worked out perfectly in the slow cooker.



I just recently started volunteering at the Joshua Tree National Park and knew that when I got home from work, I was not going to have the energy to make dinner. So before I went in on my first day I decided I needed to make dinner in the slow cooker so that I didn't have to fuss with anything when I got home. The night before I prepared all of the vegetables and put them in a gallon size plastic bag so that the next morning I could just dump everything in the slow cooker and walk out the door. I am definitely glad that I thought ahead because with standing all day, I was down for the count before I made it home, even the Mr. beat me home. So it was nice to be able to come home, get out of my work clothes and just ladle up some soup for dinner and not have to worry about a thing.

The only time I have really had sweet potatoes before was when they were in the shape of fries or a pie. So this was a first for me and I was not overly sure how it was going to taste but I was hopeful that it would be okay. When the Mr. saw the peanut butter jar next to the crock-pot he was a little worried but like always decided that he would give it a try. Now I won't say this was my favorite soup, honestly it will probably always be the Thai Coconut Soup but this was definitely up there. I loved the nutty flavor from the peanut butter and you could definitely taste hints of everything else that was in the soup. This recipe does make a lot of soup but for me it is perfect because I can now take leftovers into work and not have to worry about what I am going to pack for lunch.

• 1 large onion, diced (about 2 c.)
• 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 c.)
• 2 medium carrots, diced (about 1 c.)
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp peeled and grated fresh ginger
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed (about 2 c.)
• 6 c. vegetable broth
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 2/3 c. creamy natural peanut butter
• 2 tsp. honey
• 1/2 c. chopped scallions

1. Put everything in the slow cooker except for the peanut butter, honey and scallions. Set the slow cooker on low for 8 hours.
2. When ready to serve, puree soup with immersion blender. Add in the peanut butter and honey and stir until all of the peanut butter in melted. Serve hot and garnish with the scallions.

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Crock Pot Wednesdays
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