Soup and Yumm Sauce Save the Day!

I started out my day yesterday with a baked potato. Boring. But actually it was really tasty. I don't eat baked potatoes that often, so it reminded me to eat them more!
I wanted to tinker around in the kitchen, so for lunch I made a delicious sweet potato curry soup. I made the recipe up as I went, and to be honest when I first tasted it I couldn't believe I made it! I wrote down what I did, which is good because I will be making this again and again!

This was so creamy, a little spicy, a little sweet, and really satisfying. Not to mention it was unbelievably easy to make.
                                            Sweet Potato Coconut Curry Soup

• 1 large sweet potato peeled and chopped
• 1/2 large onion sliced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp. Curry Powder
• 3/4 tsp. Garam Masala
• 1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1 cup water
• 1 can coconut milk
• salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients except coconut milk to a large saucepan, bring to a boil and then simmer for twenty minutes or so, until the sweet potato is soft. Turn off heat and add the coconut milk. Blend the soup until it's smooth and velvety, and simmer for about five minutes, just to let the coconut milk get super comfortable with everyone. Enjoy!
I was going to get all fancy and try to make mashed potato pancakes for dinner, but I decided I just wanted to go with mashed potatoes! It was a grey rainy day so mashed potatoes felt like a hug. I had a jar of Yumm sauce in my fridge, so I decided to use a bit as a gravy or sauce. I just used a little bit because the sauce is made with garbanzo beans and almonds with seasonings and such, so it was maybe a bit of a cheat, but it was soooooo good! I know there are recipes online for this sauce, and a blog that I used to read but sadly is no more, Peas and Thank You recreated this sauce amazingly. She has a cookbook by the same name, and I think the recipe is in there. I used to make it all the time when I lived in PA. My boyfriend at the time who is not only not a vegan, but one of the pickiest eaters I have ever met in my life loved this sauce. Anyway, it tasted great with mashed potatoes and some sliced green onion.

Here I am on day three. I feel pretty confident that I will make it the whole ten days! I was feeling a little frustrated yesterday, but making the soup really cheered me up. I was able to take my taste buds someplace spicy, and they liked it. My stomach also has been feeling very calm. I think eating the same thing is easy on the old digestive tract.
I feel like if I talked about this with a lot of  non vegans, the protein issue would be thrown around A LOT. I'm certainly not a nutritionist, so I can only speak on how I feel, which is strong and healthy. When I first started working on getting healthy, I started eating higher carbs, eventually going somewhat starch solution, and I have increased the intensity of my workouts, and I'm definitely walking a lot more in my daily life. I did a super intense cardio workout yesterday, and today I did yoga focusing on the upper body(which is tough for me) and I climbed my hill, and I felt fueled to do so. I understand we need protein, but the obsession with protein has been out of control ever since Atkins burst on the scene. Shudder. I also feel satisfied. Maybe a little bored, but certainly not hungry or deprived. And I like that there are constantly ideas for rcipes floating around in my head. It feels good to create and feel like creating. Anyway, I guess that's enough potato talk for one day!
Happy Wednesday!