Nutty Sweet Potato Soup

A friend made this for our book group and I loved it. It wasn't Nate's favorite, so try it out and tell me what you think. We dipped fresh bread in it and I thought it was delicious. It comes from the food network but don't ask me which chef it is.

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, diced (~2 c.)
• 1 med. red bell pepper, diced (~1 c.)
• 2 med. carrots, diced (~1 c.)
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. fresh ginger
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed (~2 c.)
• 6 c. chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomato with its juices
• 2/3 c. creamy peanut butter
• 2 tsp. honey
• 1/2 c. chopped scallion greens (~3 scallions)

Heat 1 T. oil in large soup pot over med-hi heat. Add onions, bell peppers and carrots and cook, stirring until softened, ~5 min. Add cayenne, black pepper, garlic and ginger and cook 1 more min. Stir in sweet potato, broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med. low and simmer until potatoes are tender, ~20 min.

Puree soup in blender* or food processor and return to pot. Add PB and honey and stir. When PB is melted, serve warm. Garnish with scallions.

*when blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from heat and let cool at least 5 minutes. Transfer to blender and fill no more than half way. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid to prevent the vacuum effect that creates heat explosion. Place a towel over machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.