How much do we love this soup in the Leidich household? Let me count the ways: 1) It uses sunflower seed butter as a peanut-free base that tastes incredibly rich and creamy. 2) It gets better as it sits in the fridge, thickening day by day (you can add water or chicken broth to thin). 3) Served with a salad, this soup plays the part of main course like a champ. Make sure to choose a pure sunflower seed butter product, since many are loaded with cane sugar and other sweeteners. (See photo.)
Serves 6
Heat the oil in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and sweet potato and cook, stirring, until the onion is tender and the sweet potato begins to soften, 10 to 11 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and serrano chili and cook for about 1 minute. Add the paprika, thyme, salt, chili powder, curry powder, and cumin and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute.
Add the water, tomatoes and their juice, and parsley, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the sweet potato is very tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the sunflower seed butter and kale and simmer for 3 minutes.
Remove from the heat and cool slightly, 5 to 10 minutes. Working in batches, puree in a blender or food processor (or use an immersion blender) until smooth, adding additional water as needed to reach the desired consistency. Divide among bowls, garnish with cilantro leaves and sunflower seeds, and serve.