Sweet Potato Soup

This is a spectacular cold-weather meal that is both healthy and satiating. It's also great to prepare for dinner parties because it can easily be made ahead of time and then simply reheated prior to serving.

5-6 medium sweet potatoes (enough for 3 cups purée)
3 chipotle chiles packed in adobo sauce + 1 teaspoon of adobo sauce
2 cups soy or almond milk, divided
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter replacement
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 fresh ground nutmeg
apple slices for garnish and several sprigs of fresh rosemary


Start off by cooking your sweet potatoes whichever way you're most comfortable doing so. Once they're cooked, wait until they cool slightly and then scoop out the flesh of the sweet potato into a food processor. With it, also put in your chipotles, adobo sauce, and 1 cup of the soy or almond milk. Purée until smooth and set aside.

In a large stock pot, heat the butter replacement until melted on medium heat and then whisk in the flour. Continue to whisk and cook until the roux becomes fragrant and light brown (about 5-10 minutes depending on whether you have a gas or electric range). Once the roux is ready, slowly pour in the chicken and broth and vigorously whisk to make sure the roux is incorporated. Then, you want to bring this to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it's boiling, add the sweet potato mixture that you set aside, the spices, and remaining milk and bring back to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce to a simmer and simmer for 8-10 minutes to let those flavors come together and become friendly.

When you're ready to serve, take an apple and thinly slice and immediately place the apple slices in acidulated water (cold water with a few teaspoons of lemon juice). Ladle the soup into the bowls and place a few apple slices with a sprig of fresh rosemary and serve.