Cold or Hot Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup

A thick puree style soup tasting more like dessert than Mom's boiled veggies. Modified from the Almost Vegetarian cookbook by Diana Shaw. Note cooking time here is actually cooking time but will vary depending on what you want to do with the soup. Chill adds time.

• Ready In: 10 mins
• Serves: 5

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups  vegetable stock, strong dark
• 3  spring onions, garden fresh
• 1  tablespoon fresh ginger, sliced very fine
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cloves or 1  whole clove
• 1⁄4 teaspoon  ground mexican cinnamon
• 1⁄8 teaspoon ground nutmeg or 1⁄8 teaspoon mace
• 1  large sweet potato, peeled and diced fine
• 1 1⁄2 cups carrots, sliced, fresh, cooked
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons  maple pecan  syrup or 1 1⁄2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1  cup soymilk, to consistency
•  fat free parmesan or  romano cheese (your choice) (optional) or   soy cheese (optional)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon orange zest

Directions

1. Take 1/4 cup of the broth and sauté the onions and ginger until tender adding the cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg.
2. Add the sweet potato, cut fine to reduce cooking time. IF you haven't cooked the carrots with a bit of water and pepper add them now also again cut fine to reduce cooking time.
3. Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the potatoes and carrots are soft. Remove from heat and blenderize. DO not stick your wooden spoon too far down in the blender while running or you will ruin a perfectly good antique spoon and add fiber. This is called stupid at least for this cook. However it might add an extra flavor to the dish if the spoon is seasoned properly but NOT recommended.
4. After pureeing, return to the saucepan and add the soy milk to consistency. You will know when honest. You want a thick rich soup. Taste, add the orange zest then add the cheese, optional btw and taste again then add salt or pepper if you think you need them.
5. Serve heated in winter or chill in summer.