Meatless Monday: Roasted Red Pepper & Sweet Potato Soup from Thrive Energy Cookbook

It’s pretty cruel to taunt a hungry pregnant lady with delicious-looking, colourful photos of food. But when Brendan Brazier’s latest cookbook landed on my desk, that’s exactly what happened. One flip through Thrive Energy Cookbook, which has 150 plant-based recipes and tons of gorgeous food photos, I was ready to call it quits for the rest of the day so I could go home and cook (and more importantly, eat!).

Luckily, the book came along with an invite to his (delicious) cookbook launch. I was so excited when I arrived at the event to find tables full of the vibrant, healthy and yummy food found in the book.

I got down to business – tasting everything in sight. The Falafels were crispy and flavourful, the Raw Pad Thai was so creamy and decadent-tasting that I devoured it in mere minutes and the Coconut Cashew Date Smoothie felt like an indulgent treat (even though it’s packed with nutrients).

I’ll definitely be making all of the recipes at home, along with this bright soup – which immediately caught my eye in the book. Yum!

Roasted Red Pepper & Sweet Potato Soup

Well-balanced flavor and clean carbohydrate make this soup a delicious functional favorite.

Serves 6 to 8. Prep Time: 25 minutes. Special Equipment: Immersion blender or blender.

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 cup (250 mL) chopped onions
¼ cup (60 mL) grapeseed oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (250 mL) chopped celery
1 cup (250 mL) chopped carrots
3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced
4 large roasted red peppers, coarsely chopped
4 to 5 cups (1 to 1.25 L) vegetable stock
1 cup (250 mL) coconut milk
Large handful of fresh sweet basil, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

Place the sweet potatoes and the onions on a baking sheet. Drizzle with a little of the grapeseed oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss to coat. Roast for 20 minutes or until golden. Set aside.

Heat the remaining grapeseed oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the celery, carrots, garlic, and salt to taste. Stir in the roasted peppers and sweet potato mixture and cook on medium for 10 minutes.

Add the vegetable stock and coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. As soon as it starts boiling, reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer soup, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Using an immersion blender or blender, puree the soup to the desired consistency. Adjust seasoning.

Stir in most of the basil, reserving a few leaves for garnish. Adjust seasoning. Serve garnished with the remaining basil leaves.

-Katharine Watts, associate web editor

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