Sweet and Spicy Peanut Soup

This soup with African origins is a keeper. It's delicious and very rich in vegetables and nutrients! It comes from Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave, with small modifications. I love it and it makes great leftovers. With the vegetable stock (instead of chicken), this is a vegan friendly soup. I would like to try a kid-friendly version by decreasing the cayenne pepper and ginger. I would also like to try a less processed version with fresh tomatoes instead of canned, and roasted peanuts, and a little brown sugar instead of peanut butter.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon canola oil
• 1  large onion, diced (for 2 cups)
• 1⁄2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1⁄2 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 2  carrots, diced (for about 1 1/4 cups)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• 1  large garlic clove, minced
• 1  teaspoon ginger, peeled and grated
• 1  large sweet potato, peeled (for 2 1/2 cups)
• 6  cups chicken broth or 6  cups vegetable broth
• 1 (14 1/2ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juices
• 2⁄3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2  teaspoons honey
• 1⁄2 cup green onion, sliced (for garnish)
• 1⁄2 cup peanuts, chopped (for garnish) (optional)

Directions

1. Saute onion, peppers, and carrots in canola oil, stirring about every minute until veggies soften and begin to brown (about 5 minutes).
2. Add cayenne, black pepper, garlic, and ginger and continue to cook 1 minute.
3. Add sweet potato, broth, and tomatoes.
4. Bring to boil, then lower heat and simmer 20 minutes.
5. Puree soup with an immersion blender ( I leave mine a little chunky). If you don't have an immersion blender, it can be pureed in a regular blender in batches.
6. Add peanut butter and honey and stir over low heat until the peanut butter is melted and well mixed.
7. Serve warm.
8. Garnish with green onion and peanuts (optional).
9. Enjoy!