This soup is a lovely combination of flavors and texture. It has a mild curry taste, enhanced with the addition of orange and a hint of sweetness from the maple syrup. The toasted walnuts add taste and an appealing bit of crunch, while the optional yogurt provides a creamy finish. Although this is a great cold weather soup, it’s light enough to be enjoyed any time of the year — perhaps even for dinner with the addition of salad and some whole-grain bread.

Ingredients:

Makes 6 servings (Vegan Friendly)

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 2 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp minced gingerroot
  • 2 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp freshly grated orange zest
  • 2 cups sweet potato purée (see Tips, below)
  • 6 cups homemade vegetable stock or reduced-sodium chicken stock
  • 3⁄4 cup millet, toasted (see Tips, below)
  • 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1⁄4 cup pure maple syrup
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Toasted chopped walnuts or sliced almonds
  • Plain yogurt, optional
  1. In a large saucepan or stockpot, heat oil over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add onions, carrots and celery and cook, stirring, until carrots have softened, about 7 minutes.
  2. Add garlic, ginger, curry powder and orange zest and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add sweet potato and stock and stir well. Bring to a boil. Stir in millet. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until millet is tender and flavors have blended, about 30 minutes.
  3. Add orange juice and maple syrup and heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and garnish with toasted walnuts and a drizzle of yogurt, if using.

Tips

To get this quantity of puréed sweet potato, bake, peel and mash 2 medium sweet potatoes, each about 6 oz. You can also use a can (14 oz) of sweet potato purée. While it’s not necessary to toast millet, toasting does bring out its pleasantly nutty flavor. To toast millet, heat in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it crackles and releases its aroma, about 5 minutes.

Credit for recipe:
Excerpted from The Complete Whole Grains Cookbook by Judith Finlayson
© 2008 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

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