Sweet Potato & Kale Soup

If I seem a little sweet potato obsessed lately, it's not just your imagination.  I enjoy eating sweet potatoes year round, but something about the cooler weather, leaves changing color, and smell of autumn in the air makes me crave them in a big way this time of the year.  In fact, I have a bit batch of sweet potatoes roasting in the oven as I type up this post.
This soup gets it's creaminess from not one but three ingredients - blended sweet potatoes, coconut milk, and avocado.  Fresh kale adds a lovely green color, chewy texture, and balances out the sweetness of the potatoes - not to mention the health benefits that it brings to the table.  The night I made this soup, I had already fed Arlo his dinner by the time ours was ready, but I decided to let him taste a bite or two.  He absolutely loved it, and gobbled up everything I offered him, including the cubed avocado.  So without further ado, here is my Arlo-approved, rich and creamy, sweet potato and kale soup!

Sweet Potato & Kale Soup

Ingredients:

• 3 medium sweet potatoes, cut into bite sized cubes
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans coconut milk (not the drinking kind)
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 bunch kale, washed and torn into bite-sized pieces
• 2 avocados, diced
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1.  in a large pot over medium heat, saute onion for 6-8 minutes in olive oil.  add in garlic and cook an additional 5 minutes.
2. add in cubed sweet potatoes, coconut milk (full fat for best flavor), vegetable broth, and salt and pepper.  turn down heat to a simmer and cook until sweet potatoes pierce easily with fork.
3. using an immersion blender, blend soup until most of it is thick and creamy.  I do this by holding the immersion blender to one side of the pot, and not moving it around.  this leaves some pieces of sweet potato whole and adds a nice texture to the soup.  if you don't have an immersion blender, dump about 3/4 of the soup into a regular blender and blend until smooth.  return blended soup to pot.
4. add kale to pot, and cook until kale is wilted, about 5 minutes.
5. ladle the soup into bowls and top with diced avocado.  enjoy!