Curried Sweet Potato Latkes

(recipe from a magazine, not sure which one)

1 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes
1 small onion
1/2 cup raisins
2/3 cup flour
3 eggs
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. kosher salt

Peel and shred the sweet potatoes and transfer to a large bowl.  Grate or shred the onion, and add to the sweet potatoes along with the raisins and flour.

Separately in a small bowl, beat the eggs with the curry powder and salt.

Add the egg mixture to the sweet potato mixture and mix with your hands or a spoon.

Warm 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Drop 1/3-cupfuls of mixture into skillet and fry, pressing with a spatula to flatten, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side.  Keep warm in a 200F oven until ready to serve.  Serve with sour cream, if desired.

(Since one of my least favorite things is frying patties in a skillet, I put the entire sweet potato mixture in a large pie plate and baked in a 350F oven for 45 minutes.  Then cut into wedges.  Very delicious!)

Sweet Potato Curry with Chickpeas

• (recipe from dryman.com)

1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
6 oz. baby spinach or baby kale
Two 15 oz. cans chickpeas
1 red onion, diced
2 yellow bell peppers, diced
2 sweet potatoes, diced into 1/4-inch cubes
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
7 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. minced ginger
2 heaping Tbsp. curry powder
1 tsp. salt
30 oz. can crushed tomatoes
15 oz. can light coconut milk

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil, onion, carrots, and bell peppers. Sauté for 8 minutes, stirring often until the onions are translucent.

Add in the rest of your ingredients.

Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender.

(OMG!  So delicious!)

Carrot Bisque

(I cobbled this together from two carrot soup recipes: Vegetarian Times magazine and 101cookbooks.com)

2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 lbs. carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch chunks
1 14-oz. can full-fat coconut milk
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
4 cups water, or to cover
Juice of 1 lime
Cilantro, chopped, to taste
to serve: micro-greens (I used watercress)

In a large soup pan over medium-high heat, add the coconut oil and onion.  Stir until onion is well-coated, and allow to sauté until translucent, a few minutes.  Stir in ginger, and cook 1 to 2 minutes, or until fragrant.  Add curry powder, cayenne, and 1/4 cup water.  Cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring to coat onion and ginger with the curry mixture.

Add the carrots, coconut milk, salt, and water to cover, as needed, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, until the carrots are tender, about 10-15 minutes.  Puree soup using a blender until the soup is completely silky smooth.  Add more water if the consistency needs to be thinned out, to your liking.  Then taste for salt, adding more if needed.  Return puree to soup pan, and stir in lime juice and chopped cilantro.

Ladle into bowls to serve, and top with micro-greens.

(Vibrant and spicy!  Topping with the greens adds a nice crunch to the smooth soup.)

Winter Squash Soup with Curry and Coconut Milk

(recipe from Orangette)

2 to 3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium or large yellow onion, chopped
3 or 4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1 winter squash (about 2 lbs.), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 (14 oz.) can unsweetened coconut milk
2 cups vegetable broth
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. Asian fish sauce (I left this out, replaced it with 1 Tbsp. tamari)
1 tsp. Sriracha or other Asian chile sauce
Juicy wedges of lime, for serving

Warm the oil in a Dutch oven (or other approximately 5-quart pot) over medium heat.  Add the onions, and cook, stirring, until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.  Stir in the curry powder, and cook for 1 minute more.  Add the squash, coconut milk, broth, maple syrup, fish sauce, and Sriracha, and stir well.  Raise the heat to bring to a boil; then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the squash is soft, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender), puree the soup until smooth and velvety.  Taste for salt and sweetness, and adjust if necessary.  Ladle the soup into big bowls, add a generous squeeze of lime to each, and serve hot.

(A creamy, delicate soup with nice flavor.  I used butternut squash, but Molly suggests kabocha as having a nicer flavor.  After looking at the fish sauce in the store, and seeing that the ingredients were just anchovies, salt, and sugar, I opted against it and just used some soy sauce.  I think the other ingredients give it plenty of zip and depth of flavor.  The lime is a nice touch at the end.)