Time to Eat Healthy Stuff
The pleasant weather continues. We had what I would describe as a soft sun, the kind that warms you, but doesn’t burn you. I wish this continues forever. I wonder what the weather is like wherever you are? Are you enjoying your summer or whichever season applies to you? I wish you a lovely weekend. We have a very long one here.
After eating a succession of rich desserts, for almost a fortnight, I have decided to take a break and eat something healthy. It’s very difficult to re-adjust after getting used to sweet, luxurious, desserts. Where does one begin?
I decided to start with some Sweet Potato-Spinach Soup, (I’m still craving sweet things), with lots of coconut milk. Thank god someone invented canned coconut milk. The other day I made a Coconut Milk Cake and threw in some white chocolate chips. I’ll not reveal, what it tasted like but I’ll post it and if you are curious, you’ll have to bake it, to taste it. Please be polite enough to give me feedback, thanks in advance. I had to really fight the urge to add some bacon in this soup, so it remains vegetarian. Next time I make it, I’m not sure, it’ll remain vegetarian. Enjoy the soup, if you ever try it.
- Ingredients
- 30 g (2 tablespoons) butter, margarine or sunflower oil
- I medium onion, finely chopped
- I large sweet potato (300g), peeled and cubed
- 2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped (225g)
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 500ml (2 cups) vegetable or chicken stock (for non-vegetarians)
- 150g (5½ oz) spinach, shredded
- 150g (1 cup) frozen peas, heated in the microwave
- 250 ml (1 cup) coconut milk
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon Juice and zest 1 lemon or lime
- Plain yoghurt, to garnish
- A little parsley, finely chopped, to garnish or any other garnish
Please always remember to assemble all ingredients before you start
Melt butter or margarine, in a large saucepan (or add sunflower oil).
and onions and sweet potatoes and sauté the for 5 minutes.
Add apple and cook for a further 3 minutes.
Add nutmeg and coriander, stir and fry until thoroughly mixed.
Add the stock, bring to the boil.
Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Add spinach and peas, cover pan
and cook for 5-10 minutes or until your desired tenderness, then cool, slightly.
Blend all ingredients.
Return to the pan
and reheat slowly together with the coconut milk. If the soup is too thick, add some more coconut milk or stock (broth), whichever you prefer
Add salt, pepper, lemon zest and juice and serve.
I loved the way this bread looked, so I bought it.
I garnished with basil leaves and grated cheddar cheese
I enjoyed eating the soup, after all it had sweet potatoes!
Sweet Potato-Spinach Soup with Coconut Milk
Preparation time: 20 minutes; Total cooking time: 40 minutes; Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
- 30 g (2 tablespoons) butter, margarine or sunflower oil
- I medium onion, finely chopped
- I large sweet potato (300g), peeled and cubed
- 2 apples, peeled, cored and chopped (225g)
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 500ml (2 cups) vegetable or chicken stock (for non-vegetarians)
- 150g (5½ oz) spinach, shredded
- 150g (1 cup) frozen peas, heated in the microwave
- 250 ml (1 cup) coconut milk
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon Juice and zest 1 lemon or lime
- Natural yoghurt, to garnish
- A little parsley, finely chopped, to garnish or any other garnish
Instructions
- Melt butter or margarine, in a large saucepan (or add sunflower oil). Cook the onions and sweet potatoes for 5 minutes.
- Add apple and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add nutmeg and coriander, stir and fry until thoroughly mixed.
- Add the stock, bring to the boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
- Add spinach and peas, cover pan and cook for 5-10 minutes or until your desired tenderness, then cool, slightly. Blend all ingredients.
- Return to the pan and reheat slowly together with the coconut milk. Add salt, pepper, lemon zest and juice.
- Serve in bowls and swirl the yoghurt on top. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Points to note:
- I used Granny Smith and Golden Delicious for this recipe.
- You can use a vegetable stock cube dissolved in the 500ml of hot water.
myfavouritepastime.com
My Favourite Pastime 
Hello Liz 🙂 new to the blog ( kind lost a little lol) I was checking your blog and fall in love with this soup 🙂 can’t wait to try it
HI,
You shouldn’t ever feel lost. I have a recipe index, just click on that and you’ii see all I have at a glance. This soup is very nice. it’s one of my favourites. Please enjoy it, if you try. Thank you for visiting me and wish you a wonderful week!
from stalking your blog, i’m pretty sure we have like, the same taste palate.
I stalked your blog too and I saw some gluten free rice. Very delicious. Have a fantastic week!
Wow, spinach, sweet potatoes, peas and apples in soup? Definitely veggie-packed. The crumb of that bread looks soft soft and fluffy!
Yes the soup was very nice while it lasted and I managed not to pollute it with BACON. The bread was nice too. How is Singapore?
This looks stunning! I have in my store cupboard most of the ingredients, yayy!!! Definitely a weeknight dinner for this week!
Enjoy the soup. How is London? Have a lovely week!
I will do! It is rainy as usual. Look forward to something nice and warming and this soup should do the trick xxx
We have had lots of rain too. For the first time in years, my grass is green, so thank God it was raining!
Sweet potato and spinach together with coconut milk sounds like an interesting combination! I have not tried that yet but this looks yummy! Love the bright colour of your sweet potatoes!
You should try it or try the spicy chickpeas soup. It has coconut as well. Thanks and wish you a fantastic week! my eyes are closing….
That looks so delicious and coconut milk is an awesome ingredient in this recipe!
I totally agree. Thanks for visiting my blog. Wish you a wonderful week.
This looks wonderful!!!
And tastes wonderful too! thanks for visiting me!
Having read the previous posts, if I can throw in my two cents worth (oh, I forgot we don’t use pennies here anymore) anyway…..the addition of coconut milk just seems to meld all the flavours together. I loved the idea of a previous commenter about adding Thai basil and fish sauce! I might be tempted to chop up some basil to add too. My comment comes from trying a similar soup and you are right Liz, it’s that silky smooth richness that comes from the coconut milk. Are you an artist as well as a cook and blogger too Liz? Your presentations of dishes and the “dressing up of the table” for your blog always have a warmth and hominess to them that just makes you wish you could share that particular offering with you. Look at that beautiful napkin ring, the bowl of fruit and glass of juice! And the circles and warm colours and the cheese and basil on top of the soup, and, and…….hope you are having a wonderful long weekend!
Oh yes no more pennies. I love it when they do a round down and cringe when it’s a round up.
I just love cooking and baking and taking beautiful pictures, of course. I am the kind of person who can flip through a a beautiful catalogue or cookery book for days on end. I think I like beautiful things in general.
Coconut does have a silky smoothness that makes it so unique.
Thanks so much for showering me with tons of compliments. You make me feel so honoured. All the same I’m always so glad I met you. You inspire me to continue blogging. Enjoy your Monday. Did I say Monday? it’s already here and I’m still answering messages and watching Criminal Minds at the same time!
Your soup looks perfect Liz! We too are having pretty nice weather in Montreal. I am so a summer girl, I never want it to end!
Thanks so much for complimenting. I really love your blog. I must find time to browse it. I saw a lot of lovely food. I am a summer girl too! wish you a fantastic week!
We must be on the same page….I just made a big pot of soup last night, despite,the 94 degree heat we had! And I made a dessert with coconut milk (posting any day now). AND I’m working on a coconut cake too! The funny thing is I absolutely hated coconut growing up! Now I can’t seem to come up with enough ways to use coconut milk. Enjoy your long weekend.
Hi Mama D
Ha ha that is so good, maybe that’s why we are bonding so well? I have always loved coconut coz my mother cooked special meals with it, so it always reminds me of special occasions and special food. I have a soft spot when it comes to coconut.
I would love to see all the things you’re working on. Hope you’ll find time to post them. Blogging does take off a chunk off time…I look forward to all your posts. I am still dreaming of the chocolate martini!!!
Looks delicious…will have to make this as the weather cools..
Enjoy the soup, when the weather cools. enjoy whatever is left of your weekend too!!!
The soup sounds tasty and healthy…can’t wait to try it.
It’s tasty and healthy and i hope you try it. Thanks and have a fantastic week ahead!
Liz, this is fab! I am deeply in love with Asian-inspired foods, and this one strikes a particularly wonderful chord. I have another blog entirely dedicated to soups (www.souperdouper.net), and it will be reposted there with attribution. I will be making this one very soon. Wonder how it will taste with Thai basil and a small dose of fish sauce.
Thank you for dropping me in a sea of soup. I shall be a frequent visitor there coz I love soups!
Why is the blog separate though? is it easier to manage that way? I have always wanted to start another blog but always shied away from the thought of managing them.
Thai basil and fish sauce sounds delicious. Have a wonderful Sunday!
A lovely tasty smooth soup, dear Liz! you just commented on my latest soup & awards post, but you forgot to read that I just gave you an AWARD!!!!!! Come on over again! 🙂 xxx
I was more interested in reading about and getting to know you better and I did. Thanks for nominating me. I feel more than honoured. What else can I say. I just saw it, thanks!
yippiieeeee!
This soup looks so delicious, and it’s great how healthy it is! Bookmarking this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
You are welcome to bookmark, Have a wonderful Sunday!
This looks great! Yummy and healthy!
It was yummy. Thank you and have a lovely Sunday!
It looks and sounds delicious. In this particular recipe, what does the coconut milk bring to mix by means of flavor. I’m reading the combo of ingredients i.e. sweet potatoes, apples etc, and I’m thinking any type of milk to bode well with the flavors would be like almond milk. Might also try doing this with different types of squash versus sweet potato. Not til the fall though, cool days here right now are like the low 80’s- no soup for a while.
Hi Chad,
You know what? I have never tried Almond milk so I am absolutely clueless in this regard. On the other hand, I just love the taste of coconut milk, it doesn’t taste like any milk I know. So I use it when I want the taste of coconut and also it’s heavy and gives that silky smoothness.
the vegetables can be varied to suit ones palate. I would also love to try it with squashes. I eat soup all the time and the weather here has been so cool (around 65) with rain, just right for soup. It’s high time I tried Almond milk. I have heard so much about it. What’s it’s frequent use?
Thanks so much for being here, and wish you the best of Sunday. Goodnight!
To be honest I don’t think I have used almond milk for anything (have had it just on its own) but with your post and reading all the other ingredients it just sounded like it would fit in well since its got that nutty, earthy almond flavor to go with the potato and apples. Hope you have a good Sunday as well, hoping the cake I made taste as good as it looks (christening party tomorrow to unveil it). *fingers crossed*
Hi Chad!
I was actually on your blog commenting then I paused to do something else. You’ve made me even more curios about almond milk, so you know what? I’ll just buy it and try then will give you a feedback on how I found it.
We have a long weekend here. I wish you all the best with the christening party. My fingers are crossed for you too!!
I haven’t used almond milk,often, but I can definitely recommend using vanilla almond milk in steel cut oatmeal. It gives the oats a good flavor.
Another reason for me to try Almond milk, and it even comes in flavours? Where have I been all my life? thanks for the tip!
That looks very tasty! I like the combo. Was it too sweet from the sweet potatoes.
Hi Janet,
It didn’t taste very sweet because of the apples and spinach, just a slight tinge of sweet. Hope you’re enjoying your weekend. We have a long one here. Best wishes!
Lucky ducks, Liz! Enjoy your long weekend!
Thank you. You too!!