Creamy Sweet Potato Coconut Milk Soup with Garlic Cilantro topping and a little Bite

I was feeling low earlier in the week - after burning out my adrenal gland from years of abuse I now have a really low tolerance for any kind of stress. I used to be the girl you want on your team in a crisis - I thrived on stress! Now I thrive for a very short time and then I feel like crap for days. So a minor stressful event was enough to throw me into the cortisol roller-coaster which always ends up in hunger, irritability and low-energy. I used to keep the roller-coaster going by fueling it with caffeine, Chinese food and chocolate. But luckily, after 36 years, I have finally learned to pay attention to my body. So I fed my hunger with clean foods (I still overate but at least not on junk), forced myself to exercise when I just wanted to lay down and headed to my Naturopath's office for a shot of B12 and some adrenal support pills. By the next day I felt better and my energy was back. I can't always control stress but I can fight back - so take that cortisol!

Seriously good sweet potato soup with coconut milk and some heat. Topped with a dollop of garlic and cilantro high protein Greek yogurt!

And with my energy back on track I created a really awesome new clean, wheat-free soup recipe for my lunch date with my very sophisticated world travelling friend. It was awesome (the soup and the lunch date) - definitely a new favorite of mine. I added the topper to give it a little protein boost and make it more of a meal.  Try this recipe - you won't be disappointed! Next time I will be making a double batch because I could have eaten this for a couple of meals.

Roasted Sweet Potato's - can be eaten as is or used in soup
2 large sweet potato/yams, peeled and cubed (I used organic - they were only $.10 more a lb)
2 tbsp olive oil or melted coconut oil
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp chili powder (adjust if you want more heat)
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. To roast the sweet potato's I put them in a 9 x 13 glass pan and combined them with oil and spices. I roasted for 45 minutes turning once about half way.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes!

Soup
1/2 tbsp organic coconut oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you want it spicier)
2 cups organic, low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup full fat canned coconut milk

In a medium saucepan melt the coconut oil and add garlic and onion. Cook over medium heat until onion is softened. Add cayenne pepper and roasted sweet potato's and fry for a couple of minutes to "wake up" the pepper. Add chicken stock and coconut milk and stir until combined. Remove from heat and puree the mixture until its as smooth as you want it - I used a hand blender but a food processor or blender would also work. I actually left a few chunks in to give it some texture. Be careful if your mixture is hot or let cool before pureeing. Put mixture back in pot and heat before serving.

Topping (Optional - I made this to add a bit of protein and because I was having a guest so wanted to jazz it up a bit but its fine without it)

3/4 cup plain high protein Greek Yogurt
1/8 tsp garlic powder
3 drops liquid Stevia (optional - my yogurt is a bit too tart for my liking)
1 tbsp Cilantro - I used frozen but dried, fresh or paste would work
Dash of salt

Combine all the ingredients and use as a topper on soup. I would have added some lime if I had any - next time.

A delicious dollop of garlic cilantro high protein yogurt!!