Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup

It has been a gloomy week.  We've had a lot of rain around here.  And when it hasn't been raining, there have been a lot of overcast clouds.  To top it off, there have been serious germs floating through our house.  I have been sick for what seems like 2 weeks.  But, I am finally on antibiotics so hopefully I can nip this illness in the bud before it's time to travel, pick up new germs, and then return to try and run a marathon.  Oi.  I say 'try' because I haven't been able to run because of my fever.  Always interesting.  But, anyway.

When it's cloudy and gloomy, I do not feel like cooking.  Rain makes me want to just lie in bed and watch movies all day.  One thing that I have found is that foods that can be made in a pot always seem to be on the menu when rain is in the forecast.  It makes sense.  Aside from the prep work, the soup practically cooks itself.  No one wants to stand over a stove when they are sick!  So, this soup is great for that.  It simmers for an hour or so and doesn't require much soup-sitting.

I've been making this recipe for a while, but I don't think I have ever blogged about it.  It's one of my favorite soup recipes ever.  I think it's so good because it has so many different flavors and it really satisfies as a meal.  I recall reading the recipe the first time and wondering how it was going to work with so many different flavors, but it really does go well together.  And, just like the recipe creator, Linda, said, you do feel like you are in the caribbean with all the flavors.  Well, maybe not quite, but the sweet pepper, the spices, and the coconut milk are so tasty that maybe you can envision yourself having purchased the ingredients at a caribbean market earlier that day.

Sweet Potato and Sausage Soup
recipe by Linda at Eating Well, Living Thin
Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 medium sweet green pepper, diced
• 1 14-oz pkg smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
• 2 large sweet potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch chunks
• 2 Tbsp pearl barley
• 2 14-oz cans diced tomatoes with garlic, oregano and basil - pureed
• I don't always puree the tomatoes and it works out fine, just a different consistency.
• 1 14-oz can reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1 15 ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 3/4 - 1 cup lite coconut milk

Instructions

1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine the olive oil, onion, celery, green pepper, and turkey sausage.  Saute until vegetables are tender.
2. Add sweet potatoes, barley, pureed tomatoes, chicken broth, salt, black pepper, and spices.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and reduce to low.
3. Cover and simmer for 1 hour or until barley is tender.
4. Stir in garbanzo beans and coconut milk; heat through.