Sweet Potato and Ginger Soup

 

I decided to try a new way to serve sweet potatoes this year. I made a sweet potato and ginger soup.

The soup was thick because I reduced the liquid a little, but you can make it more liquid by adding the 2 cups of chicken stock. 

The soup was really filling and delicious with a touch of honey added.

Sweet Potato and Ginger Soup (Instant Pot-Easy)

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 1b. sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon powdered garlic

1 3/4 cup of chicken stock (recipe called for 2 cups)

1 tablespoon honey

1 cup of heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

I added sweet potatoes, chicken stock, olive oil, honey, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper to the Instant Pot and cooked 20-25 minutes on manual. Take a immersion blender and puree soup adding the heavy cream and mix to get the consistency you want. Garnish with parsley.

Serve hot.

Recipe adapted from: The Fix It and Forget It Mediterranean Diet Cookbook 

Enjoy! 

In Victory,

Sherry

Black-Eyed Pea Grinder Salad

 

This is an original grinder salad that I modified based on what I had on hand today. I made it with black-eyed peas for a New Year's twist, since in the South where I grew up you always ate black-eyed peas. An original grinder salad would be Italian and made with beans, but my beans are in the pasta because it is made with chickpea pasta. 

Ingredients:

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 bunch flat leaf parsley, minced

1 box chickpea pasta, 8 oz.

1 can black-eyed peas, 15.5 oz. can

1/4 cup pepperoncini peppers, chopped up

1/2 cup salami or pepperoni, whatever you have chopped in half or quarters

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup good olive oil

2 tsp. oregano

2 tablespoons of lemon juice or juice of one lemon

Instructions:

Cook the box of chickpea pasta according to the directions. Usually after it comes to a boil, you simmer for 8 minutes, then it is done. Drain and chill for 30 minutes to an hour in refrigerator.

Dice the red onion, thinly slice the red pepper, and mince the parsley. Chop your pepperoncini peppers and cut up your salami, or I used pepperoni (whatever Italian meat you have on hand). Rinse and drain your black-eyed peas. Add your peas, onion, peppers, pepperoncini, meat, and parsley to the bowl of cooled pasta. Add the vinegar, olive oil, oregano, and lemon juice and stir until well combined. You could add many things to this. I used the last of the marinated olives from the mezze platter we had this week to it. You could add cherry tomatoes or mozzarella balls or anything you wanted to finish up from another small meal. You can serve right away or chill in the refrigerator. The longer it sets, the better it tastes. 

Enjoy! 

In Victory,

Sherry