Saturday, November 29, 2008

Spicy Roasted Sweet Potato & Bell Pepper Soup

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To kick things off we started with a good seasonal soup. We picked up some sweet potatoes and green bell peppers at the local co-op, so that was the inspiration. Add to that a crusty baguette from a local bread maker and you've got dinner. This was simple and relatively quick for soup, but tasted so fresh and delicious.
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Recipe (vegan!):

4 sweet potatoes
3 green bell peppers
1 and 1/2 whole heads of garlic
3 to 4 cups organic 'no-chicken' veggie broth
1 cup water (if necessary)
1 can organic light coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon curry powder
crushed red pepper flakes (we used three dried whole cayennes)
thai basil leaves
salt & pepper

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Peel the sweet potatoes and dice. Core and slice the bell peppers. Remove peel from garlic. Toss all with olive oil and spread out in one layer in a roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper and roast at 400 degrees until potatoes are tender (about 30 minutes depending on your oven).
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Let cool after removing. Transfer veggies to a food processor and process until smooth--you may need to add a little water. Transfer mixture to soup pot and add the remaining ingredients, reserving a few basil leaves as garnish. Bring soup to a boil and then simmer for 15-20 minutes. Serve with crusty bread.

We also enjoyed one of Tore's home-brewed ESBs (Extra Special Bitter). More on that later...

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Welcome to Local Okra!

Hi, everyone!  Thanks for stopping by.  I have been wanting to do a food photography blog for a long time and I finally have the motivation to do it.  I always thought it would need a theme or have something interesting to say and not just be a bunch of "food porn."  It was Tore who inspired the idea behind Local Okra.  

For the past several years Tore and I have been vegetarians (3 years for me and 6 for him). Well, we actually ate seafood here and there as well, but no meat whatsoever.  We have always tried to cook/eat what's healthy for us and the world in general, but very recently our food philosophy has changed to include local, organic and sustainable meat.  So check back here for recipes, photos, and philosophical rambling.

-Kelli