Curried Yellow Pepper Soup from Moosewood for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

This week's Curried Yellow Pepper Soup is from the new "The Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health" by The Moosewood Collective. I love all the Moosewood cookbooks and this one focuses on healthy recipes with nutritious, using local and organic ingredients--perfect for starting out the new year on the right track. The curry spices and coconut milk in it caught my eye, plus yellow peppers are high in vitamin C and bioflavonoids and also contain beta-carotene, vitamin B6, and potassium, making them great for a winter's meal.

Curried Yellow Pepper Soup

"The Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health"

(Yields about 7 cups / Time: 55 minutes)

1 cup chopped onions

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup finely chopped carrots or peeled sweet potatoes

1 apple, peeled and chopped

3 yellow or orange bell peppers, chopped (4 to 5 cups)

1 Tbsp grated peeled ginger root

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp cayenne

2 cups water or vegetable broth

1 cup coconut milk

1 Tbsp lime or lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

In a soup pot on medium heat, cook the onions in the oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and apples and continue to cook, stirring often for about 10 minutes. Stir in the bell peppers, salt, ginger, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, and cayenne, and cook for a minute, stirring constantly. Add the water or broth and stir well. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and lime juice. In a blender, puree in batches until silky smooth. Add salt to taste. Garnish each serving with a dollop of yogurt, a sprig of mint or cilantro, and/or a thin slice of lime.

Variations: Replace the apple with 1 cup of apple juice. Substitute unsweetened soy milk or almond milk for the coconut milk.

Per 1-cup Serving: Calories: 168, Protein: 2g, Carbohydrate: 15g, Dietary Fiber: 4g, Total Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 191mg

Notes/Results: Creamy, hearty and a great combination of flavors. The spice of the curry, the kick from the cayenne (I doubled the amount), and the tang of the lime, blend well with the peppers and carrots. I used lite coconut milk and my immersion blender to puree it. Since I had a bunch of carrots that needed using up, I made the soup with them but would also give it a try using the sweet potatoes to see the difference in flavor and texture they would add. A good soup to start a meal with some bread or some of my favorite sweet potato corn chips. I would make this again.

Let's see who is here in the Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays Kitchen this week:

LeeAnn from Mangos, Chili and Z is here with some Sopa Caldosa, a cabbage soup with bacon, chickpeas, chorizo and parsley. LeeAnn says, "Well you all know me well enough by now to know that I substituted cilantro for that parsley. This is quick, delicious and somewhat healthy little soup."

Debby of A Feast for the Eyes is here with some Transylvanian Goulash (from Mary at One Perfect Bite), proving that vampires are not the only popular thing coming from Transylvania. Debby says, "I will always love my mother's Austrian Goulash recipe, the best. But, I liked this "Transylvanian" version. The pork was very, very tender! We both loved the texture of the creamy mashed potatoes, with the sauce. Yes, it is very good! Craig had seconds...and, um, so did I!"

Here with a hearty Beef and Dark Beer Chili is my friend Kat from Our Adventures in Japan. Kat says, "I like dark beer, I like chili, so I thought this would be perfect to try. I liked the spiciness of the chili, it creeps up on you but doesn't keep burning for long. Since I didn't have scallions, I left them out and garnished with a little Italian parsley, yogurt & white cheddar." Looks perfect for a cold winter's night!

The wonderful Rebecca from Chow and Chatter made a healthy thick Carrot and Cauliflower Soup to share this week. This one is full of veggies and lentils, along with lots of savory herbs and Indian spices. Rebecca says, "Lets start 2010 with a nice healthy recipe, a wonderfully simple and flavorful soup." A great way to kick off those resolutions!

Here with a favorite classic Italian Wedding Soup made with her homemade chicken stock is Donna from My Tasty Treasures. Donna says, "This is a delicious quick and easy soup for a weeknight and stores well. We loved this quick version of a classic and will be making it again no doubt!"

Natashya from Living in the Kitchen with Puppies made a colorful midday meal. She says, "There's nothing like a little colour to snap you out of your winter doldrums. This lunch has colour, contrast, lots of great nutrients and, most importantly, great flavour. Nigella's Red Soup, filled with the goodness of beetroot, is accompanied by her Small Tomato Tarts - just the thing to satisfy the belly and plentiful enough to have leftovers for breakfast the next day. I love the tartness that the cranberries gave the soup."

Debby from A Feast for the Eyes has her second offering this week inspired by a favorite restaurant, her Special Green Salad with Pears, Blue Cheese & Candied Pecans. The restaurant has since closed but Debby is able to recreate their salad at home. She says, "We love this salad! Doesn't this look healthy? (Well, the candied pecans are a small stretch, but just a few are okay by me.)"

Here with a salad good enough to please almost everyone in her difficult to please family is Joanne from Eats Well With Others and her Broccoli Salad. Joanne says, "Maybe it was the mayo. Maybe it was the bacon. But everyone really liked the salad. Even my father ate some (although he did say, Joanne. I think the broccoli and string beans could have been cooked a little more. I didn't dignify that with a response.) Like I said before, you can't please everyone. But you can come close."

A great variety of yummy soups and a couple of salads too this week--thanks to everyone who participated. If you have a soup, salad or sandwich you would like to share, click on the Souper Sundays logo on the side bar for all of the details.

Have a wonderful week!