July 12, 2009: Sweet potato and cabbage soup

Before fleeing Melbourne's winter for a jaunt in the sun, we had time to knock off one more of our winter recipes. This time it was Kristy's recommendation - sweet potato and cabbage soup, courtesy of Gluten Free Goddess.

Despite the multitude of ingredients, it's a pretty straightforward recipe, with everything happening in one big pot. And it's tasty - a hint of spice from the peppers and cumin, the sweetness of the sweet potatoes and the crunchy chunks of cabbage and onion for texture. Ours ended up more stew than soup, and I really enjoyed the leftovers served up on some rice.


Sweet potato and cabbage soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 medium red onion, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
1/2 head purple cabbage, shredded
1 large yellow capsicum, diced
2 chipotle peppers, with a half a teaspoon of their adobo sauce
400g can white beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups vegie stock
1/2 cup peanut butter
400mL can coconut milk
2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 fresh red chilli, finely diced
2-3 tablespoons chopped coriander
1 lime, juiced
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the cumin powder to make a spicy paste. Throw in the onion, garlic, sweet potato, cabbage, capsicum and chipotles and stir, cooking until everything's softened (about 10 minutes).

Add in the beans, stock, peanut butter, coconut milk, Worcestershire sauce, chilli and coriander and stir together.

Cover and simmer the soup for about half an hour, until everything is tender. Add in the lime juice and seasonings right before serving.

Garnish with leftover coriander if there is any.