Sweet Potato Curry Apple Soup

(If you think “Sweet Potato Curry Apple Soup” is a mouthful, well…you're right. A delicious mouthful.)

A little background about the Cave Girl: I'm a Jayhawk for life.*** This is part of why I'm so indubitably delightful. In my tenure at the University of Kansas I met some amazing people, one of whom is my Guest Blogger today. Maggie quizzed me about the ever-so-important Wedding Shape Up, and although she needed no improvement in the fitness department (she's got the strongest backbone I've ever seen), I was glad to share a few ideas – Namely, Primal-style ideas. The most important element to my Cave Family's “Wedding Day Lightning Bolt of Extraordinary Attractiveness” was real food, with high-intensity, short-duration exercise mixed in.

Maggie came up with a delicious recipe involving a few of my favorite things – sweet potato, tart apples and curry. Thanks for sharing, Maggie!

Guest Post: Maggie Mick, Garrard County, Kentucky

This past summer as my husband, Nathan, and I tried to figure out the “magic” way to lose some poundage prior to our wedding day on September 18, I reached out to my nutrition savvy friend/sorority sister from our days at KU, Liz (i.e. Cave Girl), on how she toned up for her big day. She responded with her dive into the world of Paleo. I was a bit confused by all of its elements and rules but my adorable Republican fiancée broke it down for me on the way to the grocery by stating, “We are only going to buy things that Abe Lincoln would have eaten.” (Enter light bulb moment!)

 

Nathan and I used this mindset as the days disappeared toward our wedding day.  Nathan lost about 18 pounds and I lost seven. While I wasn’t as successful, (editor's note: I'd call this successful!) I was still glad to shed a few as I planned and coordinated the final elements of our big day (see: stress eating).

A few weeks after our wedding, I was cooking for my hubby and in all of my newlywed bliss, posted some pics of my successful domestic venture on Facebook. Not only did it look yummy to my Facebook friends, but Liz informed me that I had struck gold on a Paleo recipe with my Sweet Potato Curry Apple Soup! She asked me if I wanted to share the recipe with her readers and I was only happy to share! This dish would be a fun detour from your traditional Holiday menu or just a quick recipe to welcome in the winter months!

Sweet Potato Curry Apple Soup

Prep time 10 minutes

Cook time 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 shallots/cloves garlic diced or minced

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 small yellow onion diced

1 large carrot diced

1 Tablespoon curry powder

3 medium sweet potatoes diced

2 Granny Smith apple diced

2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)

1 cup Coconut milk (add water to balance out broth to preference)

Ginger spice to taste

Nutmeg spice to taste

Sea salt and pepper to taste 

Optional garnish: Cilantro

Preparation:

Heat oil on medium in a large pot or Dutch oven. Sauté shallots, onions and carrots for 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle curry powder and stir until fragrant. Add sweet potatoes and apples followed by vegetable broth.

Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Transfer soup to a blender or food processor and purée until smooth. Return to pot or Dutch oven. Stir in milk, then heat through. Add other spices + S/P to taste!

***Yes, Jayhawks are Paleo.