Sweet Potato and Leek Soup

I tend to eat more soup in the winter than any other season. This soup has quickly become one of my favourites. It is a recipe that I adapted from Chuck Hughes from Chuck's Day Off on the Food Network.  Not only is it packed with flavour and super easy to make, it is very healthy and vegetarian. When you go back for a second bowl, you won't feel guilty about loading up on it.

Have a bowl for lunch or serve it as an appetizer before dinner, either way it will be a hit.

Sweet Potato and Leek Soup (adapted from a recipe by Chuck Hughes)

3 good sized Sweet Potatoes

1 stalk of Leeks

1 box of vegetable stock (or chicken stock)

1 Tbsp of grated Ginger

Salt and pepper

Olive Oil

1. Chop the leeks into pieces about 1 inch long. Trim the roots off the bottom of the leek, but be sure to use the white end of the leek. It's the best part. Saute the leeks in some olive oil on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Be careful not to brown them. 

2. Peel and cut up the sweet potatoes. Add them to the leeks and then add the vegetable stock to the pot. Bring to a boil and cook until the sweet potatoes are fork tender. If you don't have enough stock, just add some water until the sweet potatoes are covered.

3. If you have an immersion blender (stick blender) put it in the pot and puree the soup. If you have a counter top blender, transfer some soup into the blender until it is about 1/3 full. The soup is very hot so be sure to hold a dish cloth on top of the blender when you start blending. Repeat this process until all the soup is blended and then put it back in the pot.

4. Peel and grate about 1 tbsp of fresh ginger into the soup and season with salt and pepper.