Seasonal Soups

Mmmmm...soup.   I love soup.  It is a great comfort food.  So where to start?  Do I make chili, or chicken vegetable, or carribean soup, or coconut chicken soup, or thai chicken soup?  All of these are favorites here.  However the Go Ahead Honey its Gluten Free challenge this month is SEASONAL soup, meaning something that is in season in your area.  Right now we are getting sweet potatoes and spinach in our farming co-op box (btw, if you live in Alabama, check out GrowAlabama; it is a great co-op).  So that brought to mind two other soups I love: Korean spinach soup and West African sweet potato soup.  I was unable to decide which one to make, so I made both.  Which is a good thing because I think I am coming down with a cold, and there is nothing better than soup when you are sick.
So enjoy (without the colds)!
-Chelle

West African Sweet Potato Soup (adapted from one of the Cook's Illustrated Books)
1 Tablespoon butter
1 onion, chopped
2 minced garlic cloves
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
3 cups chicken broth (I make mine without salt; if yours has salt you may not want to add extra)
2 cups water
2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
3 tablespoons peanut butter

Saute onion in butter until soft.  Add sugar through cayenne and stir for about 1 minute.  Add rest of ingredients and bring to boil.  Simmer 30 minutes until sweet potato is soft.  Use a hand blender to puree the soup.  Serve with fresh cilantro.

Korean Soup with Spinach (adapted from Faye Levy's International Chicken Cookbook)

1/2 lb ground beef 95% lean
1 large garlic clove, minced
salt/pepper
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 cups chicken broth (if your chicken broth is without salt, make sure you taste the soup as it is cooking to see if you need more salt)
2 cups water
8 cups packed fresh spinach leaves (or more, if you can't get enough spinach like me!)
1 green onion, chopped

Saute beef in a large saucepan until almost done.  Add garlic, salt, and pepper.  Once beef is done, add soy sauce, broth, and water.  Bring to boil and add spinach.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Serve with green onions sprinkled on top.