Creamy Wild Rice Soup with Sweet Potato Croutons

Yeah, I know..."Again with the Soup?"

This time of year, I just can't help myself. There's nothing better than curling up with a nice bowl of soup on a cold autumn evening. Especially one that has comforting ingredients like wild rice, sweet potatoes, coconut milk all mixed in with a nice smooth sweet curry flavor. Yum.

This recipe came from Heidi Swanson's "Super Natural Cooking." If you click on the link, you'll notice that it will take you to "Google Books" where you can view the entire book online. Huh! Who woulda' thought?

I love this book because the photography is beautiful, the recipes are simple, and it is chalk full of information on superfoods and recipes for vegan substitutions like "Egg Free Mayonaise" and "Cashew Cream." With that being said, if you can add this one to your library, you won't regret the purchase.

Creamy Wild Rice Soup with Sweet Potato Croutons
Serves 4 to 6

2 Tbsp coconut oil
1 1/2 tsp red curry paste (I use 1 tsp green curry and 1/2 tsp red chili paste)
1 large glove garlic, finely chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 cup wild rice, rinsed
4 cups water
1 orange-fleshed sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
Fine grain sea salt
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 Tbsp natural cane sugar
1 Tbsp shoyu sauce (or gluten-free soy sauce, tamari)
1 (14-oz) can coconut milk
Squeeze of lime juice

Heat 1 Tbsp of the coconut oil in a heavy soup pot over medium-high heat, then add the curry paste (and chili paste if using), garlic, shallot, and onion and saute for 3 or 4 minutes, until the onion begins to soften. Make sure the curry paste is evenly distributed before moving on the the next step.

Stir in the wild rice and 3 sups of the water. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat a bit, and cook, covered, for about 40 mintues, or until the rice starts to soften, split and show it's fluffy insides. That being said, a surefire way to know when the rice is tender is to taste it.

Meanwhile, prepare the sweet potato croutons. Warm the remaining 1 Tbsp coconut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, then add the cubed potatoes and a few pinches of salt. Toss to coat the potatoes, then cook a few minutes longer, until they start to get some color on the bottom. Give them another toss to brown the other side, and continue tossing every few minutes to get more color and crispiness. If the pan dries out, add a bit more oil. When the sweet potatoes are cooked throug and pleasantly crunchy, season to taste with salt, then scoop them out onto a paper towel.

When the rice is tender, stir in the turmeric, sugar, shoyu, coconut milk, the remaining 1 cup water, and 1 tsp salt. Stir, return to a simmer, and cool for another 5 minutes to meld the flavors. Remove from the heat and finish with a generous squeeze of lime juice. Season to taste.

When serving, ladle form the bottom of the pot to make sure each person gets plenty of rice, and top with a generous sprinkling of sweet potato croutons.