Vegan Peanut Coconut Sweet Potato Soup

I let Liam choose the soup tonight, and he said he wanted something with coconut milk and sweet potatoes. Here's what I came up with. It's quite mellow, so you might want to use more red pepper or lime or add some lemongrass or chives. Some strange people think cilantro (yuck!) goes well with this kind of soup, too.

Ingredients:

• Peanut oil
• Sweet potatoes -- about 6 smallish ones -- peeled and cubed
• 1/2 tsp grated ginger
• Minced garlic to taste (I probably used the equivalent of 4 cloves, but we're a garlic family; you might want less)
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper (or more if you like spicy)
• 2 cups water with vegetable bouillon
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 can coconut milk
• Lime juice to taste (I used 1 tsp)
• Bragg's liquid aminos or soy sauce to taste (I used 1 tbsp)
• Salt to taste (optional)
• Red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat splash of peanut oil over medium heat. Add cubed sweet potatoes and stir to coat.
2. Add ginger, globs of minced garlic, and red pepper.
3. Let cook for 5ish minutes (remember to stir).
4. Add water and bouillon, enough to just cover sweet potatoes. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer till sweet potatoes are tender -- about 6 minutes.
5. Add peanut butter and stir till it dissolves.
6. Add coconut milk and stir.
7. Add lime juice, Bragg's liquid aminos, and salt (optional), and stir.
8. Heat through and serve. You could also blend this into a creamy soup.
9. Top with red pepper flakes if you like it hot.

Notes:

• I am not a huge fan of ginger or lime. I like just a hint of their flavors, so I used very little in this recipe. You might like quite a bit more.
• I use full fat coconut milk. Fat is good. It's too much food that's bad.
• I prefer Bragg's liquid aminos to soy sauce because it has the same flavor (slightly more mild) but without the salt. Supposedly, it's good for you, too.
• I am a lazy cook. I use the pre-grated ginger and pre-minced garlic. Fresh ginger and garlic might have a stronger taste.
• I usually throw things together then cross my fingers and hope it will turn out. On this one, though, I did a lot of tasting and adjusting at the end.
• This might also be good with some kale or rice noodles added.