MangiaMore: Sweet Potato Squash SOUP

RER 1.23.13

It's a few weeks into the new year and everyone is still fighting to maintain those resolutions. You know the drill-- new year, new you. Like for many people around the globe January 1st means war. For some it is a project about getting fit and losing weight, while for others it's about chasing dreams and love and passion, and for some of us it is all of the above. For me, resolutions always tend to be losing battles; I start strong, and them bam, I fall off, and never pick it up again.

And winter weather and plummeting temperatures do not help. The cold does not make me want to take my behind to the gym leaving the comfort of the warm indoors or even eat light and healthy food. My body craves warmth, comfort and satisfaction, not deprivation.

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But who says you have to sacrifice to keep up with your healthy resolutions? Refinery29 (fashion, health, and beauty), revealed some great options for getting the things I long for in the winter months, while keeping balance and working on my health. In a article called "Soup Secret: 3 Recipes for a Healthy Cleanse," they list three soup recipes that can help you maintain your healthy new year resolution, while being satiated and sacrificing nothing. Each of these soups have a low calorie count, but large amounts of nutrients and super foods.

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I recently tried the Sweet Potato Squash soup. Not only was it easy to make, it turned out pretty delicious and hearty. The recipe is moderately low maintenance, considering so many other recipes out there, just some chopping, stirring, waiting and in the end, smashing (my favorite). What first caught my eye about this recipe was the sweet potatoes. I have never really though about sweet potatoes as healthy super foods, because of their innate sweet and delicious nature, so I thought, there was no way that this soup would feel healthy (like bunny food) to me. I was also struck by the combination of ingredients; butternut squash, onion, green apple, sweet potatoes, and a touch of olive oil. Nothing felt sacrificial about these ingredients, or that I was giving up any kind of comfort (just my kind of "healthy" recipe). And in some ways it made me feel skeptical. How could all these goodies create something labeled as a "detox soup," but whatever makes it one, I like it.

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But in the end, after it was all said and done; the skinning, the chopping, the cubing, the dicing, the pouring, the stirring, the waiting and the smashing (I know, sounds excessive), we ended up with a delicious soup. The soup was hearty and erred toward a puree. It was thick with pieces of the squash and sweet potato, and lined with remnants of granny smith apple. The sauteeing the onion and the apple in olive oil gave the soup a buttery feeling, and a sense of luxuriousness, without the less healthy elements of real butter. The butternut squash was not really perceptible in flavor, but the difference between it and the sweet potato in texture, was present and added interest.

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The recipe, however, called for no seasoning whatsoever. That, I found very odd 1. because I am all about seasoning, spices, flavors, add-ons, what have you... and 2. Just a few days later Refinery29 had another article "How To Eat Super- Healthy In The Dead Of Winter" which praises the additions of herbs and spices. So, we added some hot spices, mainly chili powder and hefty amounts of pepper, to our sweet potato squash soup. This gave our soup some kick, and added even more benefits (the benefit of extra deliciousness!). Also, when serving, we added a tiny bit of sour cream to offset the sweetness of the ingredients and add some tang. The creaminess added decadence, but also decreased its "healthy" perspective.

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This is a great soup to make to detox, or even when you are in a winter rut. It is super filling, nutrient and fiber rich, but also delicious and colorful for the colder months. It brings comfort and warmth while making your belly happy.

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1.24.13

RER 1.23.13