Free Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooking by Carla Kelly Page B

the oven for something else, you can roast the sweet potatoes ahead of time and hold in the fridge until required for this recipe. Use lowfat canned coconut milk if this is a consideration for you, or substitute half the coconut milk with vegetable stock. The soup will be less rich but still very yummy.
Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 40 minutes, including roasting the sweet potatoes
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 tablespoon canola oil
Salt and black pepper
 
½ cup vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade ( page 43 )
 
½ medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1½ tablespoons lime zest from 2 medium limes
½ cup vegetable stock
1½ cups canned coconut milk
 
Additional stock
1 to 3 tablespoons lime juice from 2 medium limes, to taste
 
Salt and black pepper
 
Lime wedges or zest spirals, optional
     
*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on page 39 .
1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a 9 by 13-inch baking pan, toss the sweet potato in the oil, season with the salt and pepper, and roast for 30 minutes, until soft and lightly caramelized.
2. Add the ½ cup vegetable stock to deglaze the baking pan, collecting all the stuck pieces of sweet potato. Transfer to the slow cooker and add the onion through the coconut milk; stir to combine.
3. Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 5 hours, or until the flavors are well melded and the sweet potato is very soft.
4. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. Add stock as required to make to desired consistency.
5. Just prior to serving add the lime juice 1 tablespoon at a time, tasting after each addition until it is to your taste, stirring well to make sure well mixed. Season with the salt and pepper as required.
6. Garnish with a wedge of lime, or a spiral of lime zest, if desired.
    VARIATION
    SQUASH SOUP WITH LIME
Also very good made with butternut (or other winter) squash, prepared the same as you would the sweet potatoes.

Leek and Potato Soup with Fennel

    R ICH, SILKY SMOOTH , creamy, and oh so absolutely divine. I run out of superlatives when I describe this soup because it is one I just adore! The ingredients are really simple and the method just as simple, but the depth of flavor and the balance is perfect. The leeks and fennel work hand in hand instead of one being dominant. If you prefer a chunkier soup, don’t blend at the final step. Use a potato masher to mash the vegetables so they are partially broken up but not smooth. Serve cold as a modern vichyssoise for a perfect summertime soup, for a change.
Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes
3 tablespoons olive oil
 
3 medium leeks, trimmed, rinsed, halved lengthwise, and cut into ½-inch-thick slices
1 small bulb fennel, trimmed, cut into ½-inch slices, fronds reserved for optional garnish
3 medium white potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼-inch cubes
3 garlic cloves, crushed with the flat of a knife and peeled
 
½ cup white wine or vegetable stock, store-bought or homemade ( page 43 )
 
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups light vegetable stock
 
Salt and black pepper
 
Olive oil and fennel seeds, optional
     
*To ensure the dish is gluten free, if necessary, please check all packaged ingredients, as noted on page 39 .
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the leek, fennel, potato, and garlic; sauté, stirring only occasionally not obsessively, until vegetables are starting to caramelize, 6 to 7 minutes.
2. Deglaze with the wine.
3. Transfer to the slow cooker. Add the bay leaf through the stock.
4. Cover, set heat to LOW, and cook for 6 hours, or until the fennel is easily crushed against the side of the slow cooker and the potato is tender.
5. Remove the bay leaf and blend with an immersion blender until silky smooth.
6. Taste and season with the salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve garnished with a tiny drizzle of the oil