Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon saffron threads
6 cups chopped peeled sweet potato -- (about 2 pounds)
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
7-1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 cups chopped spinach

Directions:
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Add chopped onion, celery, minced ginger, dried thyme, and saffron threads, and saute 5 minutes. Add sweet potato and orange rind, and saute 3 minutes.

Add broth and red pepper, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until potato is tender.

Place half of potato mixture in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Pour pureed mixture into a bowl.

Repeat procedure with remaining potato mixture.

Return pureed mixture to pan.

Stir in the spinach, and cook until thoroughly heated.

Yield: 10 servings (serving size: 1 cup).

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 119
Fat: 2.4g
Saturated fat: 0.5g
Protein: 2.2g
Carbohydrate: 23.1g
Fiber: 3.3g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 775mg