Spinach Orange Yam Soup

Sometimes you are destined to make a recipe. Everything was leading me towards this soup:

1) I got a lemon squeezer for Christmas! Perfect for squeezing small oranges as well. 🙂

2) My mom gave me her second garlic press (I never thought I needed one, but it is great for salads)

3) My mom offloaded a case of oranges/clementines onto me before her vacation

4) I had 2 yams in my fridge that needed to be used PRONTO

5) Baby spinach was on sale

6) I borrowed ExtraVeganZa from the library and was reading it over the holidays

7) Have I mentioned how much I love soup? 🙂

Even though I wasn’t expecting much, I am so glad I followed all the clues.

The stars were aligned properly, though: this soup was phenomenal. I was blown away by its taste. Healthy food does not need to be bland!

This soup was both incredibly delicious, healthy and a snap to put together. I adapted the original recipe from ExtraVeganZa only slightly, with less oil and likely more yam. This soup was silky smooth from the pureed yams.  I rarely go to the trouble of squeezing my own orange juice, but with an overabundance of citrus and a new lemon squeezer, I had no excuses.  The freshly squeezed juice is paramount for this recipe. The delicate splash of citrus made this a light-tasting soup, and the extra dimension came from the dill and ginger. They really brought the soup to the next level with the curiosity it raised with each spoonful. The soup would likely be great without the spinach, but the extra bulk made this a soup with texture. A perfect play from winter’s finest characters. It brought a smile to my face with its first bite.

Here are other soups with orange that have piqued my curiosity:

Black Bean Soup with Orange Zest at Recipe Trezor
Carrot and Orange Soup with Ginger and Thyme at She’s in the Kitchen
Honeyed Carrot and Orange Soup at Tasty Kitchen
Balkh Brown Lentil Soup at Vegan Feast Kitchen
Caspian Butternut Squash Soup with Bulgur at Vegan Eats and Treats

This is my submission to Deb for this week’s Souper Sundays, and to Torview for her green Food Palette event.

Spinach Orange Yam Soup

1 tbsp oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped (I used the garlic press – fabulous!)
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
2 medium yams, peeled and thinly sliced (mine were around 2 lb total)
1 tbsp sea salt (that is not a typo!)
1/4 tsp dried dill weed
3 cups water
6 oz baby spinach
1/3 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed (my juice was from 2 small tangerines and 2 clementines)

1. In a medium pot, heat the oil over medium-low heat.  Add the onions and sweat for 2-3 minutes. Add in the garlic and ginger, and sweat for another 3 minutes. Add in the yams and toss all the ingredients together. Make sure the ingredients do not stick to the bottom.

2. When the onions are soft, stir in the salt, dill and water.

3. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat. With an immersion blender, blend this mixture on high until a creamy and smooth consistency is reached.  Add the spinach and orange juice, stir and cover the soup, allowing the spinach to wilt in the steam. Serve immediately.

Serves 6.