Creamy Wild Rice Soup

Oh wow, this soup tasted terrific after a day of windy gardening.

2 tbsp coconut oil
1 1/2 tsp red curry paste
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 cup wild rice, rinsed
4 cups water
1 orange-fleshed sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
sea salt
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp shoyu sauce
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
squeeze of lime juice

Heat 1 tbsp of the coconut oil in a heavy soup pot over medium-high heat, then add the curry paste, garlic, shallot and onion and sauté for 3 or 4 minutes, until the onion begins to soften. Make sure the paste is evenly distributed.

Stir in the wild rice and 3 cups of water. Bring to a simmer, and cook, covered for about 40 minutes or until rice starts to soften, split, and show its fluffy insides.

Meanwhile, prepare the sweet potato croutons. Warm the remaining coconut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, then add the cubed potatoes and a few pinches of salt. Toss to coat the potatoes, then cook a few minutes longer until they start to get some colour on the bottom. Give them another toss to brown the other side, and continue tossing every few minutes to give colour and crispiness. Season with salt, then scoop them out onto a paper towel.

When the wild rice is tender, stir in the turmeric, sugar, shoyu, coconut milk, the remaining 1 cup water and 1 tsp salt. Stir, return to a simmer, cook for another 5 minutes to meld flavors. Remove from the heat and finish with a generous pinch of lime juice. Ladle into bowls and top with the sweet potato croutons.

This recipe is from Heidi Swanson's
Super Natural Cooking. Yummy!