Garnet Yam Coconut Soup

Yesterday it started raining again.  Here in Oregon, that’s not so uncommon.  But what is uncommon is the streak of utter sunshine we had that lasted most of a month. So when the storm showed up, not to be daunted, my mind went directly to my favorite soup combination: creamy yams and coconut with whatever veggies we have. 

Real African Yams

Technically yams are actually these yummy ginormous African monstrosities. The African word “yam” means “to eat.”

 Sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas), on the other hand, come in two main varieties here in the States. One has a golden skin with creamy white flesh and a crumbly texture. The other has a copper skin with an orange flesh that is sweet and soft. All sweet potato varieties generally have the same shape and size — they are tapered at the ends and much smaller than the aforementioned yams.   

Sweet Potatoes

Finally yams are being rescued from terrible sweet dishes at Christmas into savory, satiating food experiences. We created this soup on the fly as a cold weather comfort food, intending to make enough to eat for a few days and ended up finishing most of it in one evening and the rest the next day. 

The boys give it two thumbs up! 

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Garnet Yam Coconut Soup

A delicious lowfat winter comfort food

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 6

Author Terradon Iler

Ingredients

• 4 CUPS Organic No-Chicken broth
• 1 TBSP Frontier Organic Adobo Seasoning
• 1 14 oz can full fat Coconut Milk
• 1/4 CUP lime juice
• 3 Yams peeled and cubed
• 2 CUPS Broccoli florets
• 1 can Bamboo shoots drained
• 1 1/2 CUPS Kale chopped
• Pepper to taste
• 1 TBSP Turmeric
• 1/4 tsp Cayenne
• 2 TBSP Fresh ginger minced
• 2 CUPS Quinoa any variety

Instructions

1. In a rice cooker, put in 2 cups of Quinoa, rinse with cool water and then fill cooker bowl with water to the 2 line (regular rice). Add an extra 1/4 cup of water. Close the lid and hit start.
2. Heat a pan on the stove on medium with broth, ginger, turmeric and lime. Wash, skin and cube the yams. When the pan is warm, add the yams sprinkle with Adobo Seasoning and cover, simmering for about 10-15 minutes until soft. Stir periodically to keep from sticking and to check doneness.
3. When cubes are soft, scoop about half of the yams and all the liquid into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour back into the pan and add in coconut milk, broccoli, bamboo shoots and heat through. Add Kale about 3 minutes before serving to avoid too much shrinkage!

Recipe Notes

You can saute mushrooms, fennel bulb and/or throw in a few handfuls of pepitas!