Cinnamon-Spiced Sweet Potato Soup

I was going through a magazine today and came across this recipe.  I decided to make it for myself tonight and of course like usual I tweaked it.  I can't help myself.  I am going to blog the way I made it but if you want the original recipe I got it out of Woman's Day magazine.  The amount I made is half of the original recipe, which made 2-3 servings.  

Cinnamon-Spiced Sweet Potato Soup: 

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 medium/large carrots

1/2 onion chopped (I used purple but you can use sweet)

1 clove garlic chopped

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (cut in half for less spice or omit all together)

1-1.5 sweet potatoes peeled and chopped

1 tbsp. chicken or vegetable bouillon

3 cups water

1 slice bread cut into 1 inch cubes (I used Ezekiel)

pure maple syrup

 

 

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a medium saucepan on medium high heat.  Add the carrots, onion and garlic and cook until the vegetables are starting to brown at the edges, about 8-10 minutes.  When this step was over I removed the garlic.  You can definitely leave it in.

 

After it cooks and the vegetables are browned add the spices and cook for 1 minute more.

 

Then add the sweet potatoes, bouillon and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer until sweet potatoes are tender.  About 15-20 minutes.

 

After the sweet potatoes are tender blend/puree the soup.  I used a hand held blender.  You can also decide the consistency you want the texture to be.  I thought the soup was a little too thick so I ended up adding some vegetable broth to thin it out a little bit.  

*To make my croutons I cut up my Ezekiel bread and put it in a preheated pan with 1 tbsp. of olive oil until the bread was toasted.*

I topped my soup with mushrooms, croutons, green onions, parmesan cheese and a drizzle of pure maple syrup.  This soup was absolutely delicious and a little spicy.  Enjoy!  Simply Delicious