We know it is difficult at times to part from the average American diet but in this adapted version, the sweet potatoes add a punch of color and sweetness to enhance the full flavored, ham based soup. It is even better than its traditional milky potato soup counterpart! As always, we love to keep things simple and encourage you to try it and enjoy!
CREAMY HAM AND SWEET POTATO SOUP
Paleo & Whole 30 compliant2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, thinly sliced
2 cups ham, diced
2-3 sweet potatoes, unpeeled, diced into bite size pieces
3 cups homemade ham stock
1 cup water
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup arrowroot
2 cups almond milk or 1 can organic coconut milk
1/4 cup grass fed butter
* Making your own ham stock is easy but takes awhile. Do this ahead of time and store ham stock in sealed containers in the freezer.
* In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery. Cook to soften.
* Add sweet potatoes, ham stock, water and ground pepper. Turn down heat and simmer until sweet potatoes are fork tender.
* Meanwhile, whisk together the arrowroot and 1 cup almond milk in a small saucepan. Add the rest of the almond milk and butter. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute to thicken.
* When sweet potatoes are cooked. Slowly add thickened milk mixture to the soup and stir well.
Round out the meal and serve with a tossed salad of mixed greens and vinaigrette. As always, enjoy!
HAM STOCK (Homemade)
A large ham bone or 2 ham hocks
1 onion, quartered
2 ribs celery, chopped in large pieces
2 carrots, chopped in large pieces
6+ cups of water
* In a large stock pot, cover ham bone with water, add vegetables to flavor the stock and bring to a boil. Simmer, covered for 1-2 hours.
* Remove from heat. Discard bone and vegetables. Allow to cool.
* Place stock in sealed 1-3 cup containers. Freeze until ready to use.
* Before using, remove the fat layer from the top of the stock and discard.
Soup recipe adapted from the original by Jennifer Maltby for the Unrefined Kitchen
Photo credit to google images and More Time at the Table
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