Sweet and Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

Hi Everyone! I am finally getting around to posting some recipes. And this soup is the perfect start. We are at home once again with yet another snow storm and the kids are off of school for like the 7th day this year and I just wanted to make a nice warming winter soup to warm my insides. And this Sweet and Spicy Sweet Potato Soup really hits the spot. It has the wonderful root vegetable benefits of sweet potatoes and the spicy health benefits of cayenne pepper.

Sweet potatoes are rich in Beta carotene which helps the body fight against free radicals. They are also rich in Vitamins A, C, manganese, potassium and dietary fiber. Sweet potatoes are one of the most nutritious vegetables available throughout the year.

Cayenne pepper is a seasoning that has great health benefits. It has been shown to reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Cayenne has a high concentration of a substance called capsaicin which is what gives it its heat. It has been studied for its cardiovascular benefits and has been used medicinally for thousands of years around the world. It is rich in vitamins A, C, B-complex, calcium and potassium. Cayenne also aids in digestion and is often used to treat stomach aches, gas and constipation. When cayenne is added to your food it aids in the absorption of the nutrients from your food.

You can make this soup without the cayenne pepper however, I would advise you to try it and adjust the amount as needed. I know 1/4 tsp doesn't sound like much for a whole pot of soup but believe me, unless you want something really hot, stay with that amount. Enjoy!


Sweet and Spicy Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients:



1 Tbs. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
2 carrots, diced
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. peeled and grated fresh ginger
3-4 medium to large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
6 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 - 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, with the juices
2/3 cup cooked brown rice
chopped scallions for garnish




Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and carrots and saute until vegetables are soft for approximately 5 minutes.




2. Add the cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic and ginger adn cook for another minute more. Stir in sweet potato, broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

3. Add the cooked brown rice and then puree the soup in a blender in batches and then return the soup to the pot.

Serve warm and garnish with the green ends of the scallions. Enjoy!

Welcome to my Very First Post!

Welcome, Welcome, Welcome!

Hello Everyone! My name is Jennifer Argondizza and this is my first blog post and I am so excited to share this blog with all of you. First I want to tell you a little bit about myself, I am a stay at home mother of two children, a boy age 10 and a girl age 7 and I live with them and my wonderful husband in New Jersey. My passion over the years for health and wellness has brought me to my current endeavor of studying at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in NYC. I am currently enrolled in their Distance Learning program that just began February 1, 2010. I am studying to become a Holistic Health Counselor and I am looking forward to working with people to change their lives and help them to improve their health and happiness. I am embarking on this journey in my life and career with my whole heart and soul and plan to make this year one of New Beginnings. Isn't it time for A New Beginning to Health and Wellness? For me in my life it definately is!

I recently read a quote, "Teach that which you wish to know". I love that quote and that is sort of my mantra for this next year. I have a lot of knowledge in the health and nutrition field but there is still much for me to learn. I am going to go through this year of learning while walking the walk and using what I learn to make changes in my life and then take that experience and help others do the same for themselves. I am also going to need some help along this journey. I will need people to help me with free health history consultations, cooking classes, focus group meetings, etc.

I absolutely Love to cook and have been cooking since I was a teenager. My mother taught me how to cook, how her grandmother taught her how to cook and from the beginning I was hooked. However, my experience with food while growing up was not entirely a healthy one. My mother was quite strict with us as to the food we ate and it was for the most part pretty healthy but we didn't really learn about healthy eating. While growing up I never had a weight problem but as the years went on and I went to college and started eating out on my own more and more, the lack of knowledge I had ended up becoming a problem for me with gaining weight and so began my years of yo-yo dieting that has continued up until the past few years. I was always focused on dieting and my weight but did not focus on my overall health. I knew how to diet and did every diet out there to try to keep my weight under control but in the end never focused on my health until a few years ago when I started to have problems with my blood pressure. My doctor told me I was way too young to go on blood pressure medication so I had to lose the weight. I remember walking out of her office in tears, here I was overweight again and what was I going to do now? I had done every diet out there and although each one worked, each one also failed me in the end. I knew it was time to find something different but had no idea where to start.

I decided to go a totally different route and started out with a Nutritionist. It was a good start, she told me how to eat and what to eat and started to guide me to a healthier way of eating but it still focused all on my food and eating. I still wanted more then just being told what to eat, I knew there was more to my weight issues then just the food I put in my mouth. I joined a gym and started to do yoga and weight training and a little bit of cardio. I began to lose weight just focusing on all that with the nutrition. Then one day I walked into the gym and they were hosting a health fair and I walked into the back room to listen to two women talk about what they had to offer and by the end of their talk my life had changed forever. They were both Holistic Health Counselors promoting their business and everything they said was exactly what I had been searching for. And not only for me but there was so much more to offer for my family too in the way of making changes of overall health and wellness for all of us. My journey began with them three years ago and since that time I have totally changed my life and the lifestyle of my family. Not only have I worked on my weight but I have been able to make miraculous changes in the lives of my children. While changing a lot of our eating to organic and whole foods I have been able to get my son completely off of his Asthma medications. His doctors have said that he must be growing out of his asthma, but I know better. I have also helped him release some weight he had been holding on to which we did to help him play football but has been an overall wonderful experience for him and for me to help him be a healthy weight for his body. I have also been able to make little healthy robots out of them both and in turn they are both such great role models for their friends with the healthier way they eat and I absolutely love to see them share their different snacks and foods with their friends.

I have had some stumbles along the way and after having surgery over a year ago I began to have some hormonal problems and I also stopped making myself a priority again. I began to focus heavily on making these changes work for my family that I took the focus off of myself and started to fall back into old habits again. But I will endure in the end and through this wonderful path I am now on I will get back to where I want to be. It is not all about the weight but also about happiness and the many things I will work on in my school such as relationships, spirituality, career and physical activity as well as nutrition will help me pave the way to A New Beginning to Wellness for myself and in turn to be able to provide that to my future clients.

I am so looking forward to having you all follow me during this next year of change and enlightenment. I am going to be sharing with you my knowledge that I learn and also many wonderful recipes and healthy bytes. Please check in with me often and leave me your comments and suggestions. I look forward to this new experience as a Blogger! I am so excited!

Warmly,
Jennifer