Sweet Potato, Peanut, and Chipotle Soup

Morita chiles are red, fully mature Chipotles. This gives them a unique, medium – hot smokey flavor which is popular in many Southwestern dishes. These can be added to sauces (including Mole) to add smokey flavor and maintain the red color of the sauces. These peppers are about 2-4 inches in length, 1 inch in width, and have a deep brick reddish brown color. The word Chipotle translated to smoked chile. Consider the Chipotle a 6.5 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the hottest). Scoville heat units 7,000-25,000.

Suggested Use:
Use Morita in enchilada sauces, chili, stews, barbecue ribs, and corn bread. Their smoky quality combines well with poultry, meats and fall squash.

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Ingredients:

Olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 cups vegetable broth
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1 teaspoon chipotle chile puree*
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper
Low-fat plain yogurt (optional)
Peanuts, chopped

Instructions:

* Puree one 3 oz of chipotle chiles that have been rehydrated in hot water. Add 1 teaspoon of the puree to the soup and save the rest in the fridge or freezer for another recipe.

Heat about 2 tablespoons on olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Stir in the ginger, garlic and coriander and cook for 1 minute. Add the sweet potato and vegetable broth and bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the sweet potatoes are very tender.

Remove half of the soup from the pot and puree in a blender. Add the peanut butter and chipotle chile puree to the blender and blend until just incorporated. Pour the puree back into the pot with the rest of the soup, add the tomatoes, and bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a dollop of plain yogurt and sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

Adapted from tastyeasyhealthgreen.com