Carrot and Sweet Potato Bisque

It all started when I wanted soup.  Simple request, usually.  But with October Unprocessed I was a little worried that it would be much more complicated.  I mean, I would have to make my own stock first!  That seemed like a lot of work...

Except it is NOT.

I took all the odds and ends of veggies I had laying around in the fridge, dumped them in a soup pot, covered with water and added some salt, then let it boil for about an hour.  While I watched TV.  Yes, that's how complicated it was.

But what kind of soup did I want to make?  Well, I wanted to make I-don't-need-to-go-out-in-the-rain Soup.  The perfect kind for a day like yesterday.

Cupboards and fridgedoors were opened.  Kale?  Nah... enough of that recently.  Beet?  No.  I did not want beet soup.  But I did see those beautiful, colored carrots I got for a buck at Farmer's Market a few days ago.  And there were a few sweet potatoes hiding in the bottom of my pantry.  The perfect ingredients for the perfect soup.

In the end I wound up with a creamy (thanks to pure Greek yogurt and a blender) sweet potato and carrot bisque.

Guess what?   It was delicious, unprocessed, and cost about 75 cents per bowl.

And I didn't have to go out in the rain...

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 2 T butter
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t nutmeg
• 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 5 medium carrots, cut into medium-sized pieces
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt, plus a little more to top the soup
• sprigs of fresh herbs, your choice, to top the soup

DIRECTIONS

1. In soup pot, melt butter and saute onion and garlic, about 5 minutes.  Add cinnamon and nutmeg and cook another 2 minutes.
2. Add potatoes and carrots to pot and cover with stock.  Add up to 1 cup water, if needed.  Bring to a boil, and then reduce to low and simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes and carrots are soft.
3. In a blender, working in small batches, puree the soup mixture.  Be careful to let the steam out before blending to avoid any explosions. 
4. When finished, stir in yogurt and salt/pepper.  Top each bowl with a small dollop of yogurt and fresh herbs of your choice.

COOK'S NOTE

To save time, use bullion cubes.  Otherwise, make your own.  It tastes AMAZING!

COST: $2.98   COST PER bowl (4): $0.74