from our recipe box:: curried cider soup (the perfect way to use up those Thanksgiving leftovers!)

Yesterday afternoon, I ate a turkey sandwich with cheese, cranberry sauce, and gravy. Oh, and stuffing. For some reason, the week after Thanksgiving, it always seems like the best idea to add bread to my sandwich. It was delicious, but I felt a tiny bit ashamed after eating it. Bread on top of my sandwich? Who does that?!

Anyway, that's why I'm excited to post this recipe for you today. It's the perfect way to use up all that leftover turkey (we cooked a 21 lb turkey on Friday-- we'll be eating turkey for weeks.) without feeling like a complete glutton. 

I tore this recipe out of a Rachael Ray magazine a few years ago and it continues to be one of our favorites. The perfect fall soup that pairs perfectly with a cold night and steaming hot beer bread. 

Ingredients:

(serves 4-6) 

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup apple cider

1 large sweet potato, peeled & cut into 1 inch chunks

1/2 head cauliflower, coarsely chopped

1/2 rotisserie chicken, OR leftover Thanksgiving turkey, sliced into bite sizes bits

Directions::

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, ginger and a teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the curry powder and cumin and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Stir in the cider, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add 4 cups of water and the sweet potato and bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower, lower the heat and simmer until the veggies are tender, about 10 minutes. 

This is where we differ from Rachael Ray's directions. She says, 

"Using a blender, and working in batches, puree the soup, and return to saucepan. Stir in the chicken (or turkey) and warm over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper."

We have found that using the blender is pretty tedious and can get messy. We use our Cuisinart Smart Stick Immersion Blender and blend the whole batch up right in the pot in about 2 minutes. (We mostly use it to make smoothies each morning-- also way easier and less cleanup than a true blender.)

We love eating it with King's Hawaiian Bread, or most recently, I've been making this buttery honey beer bread constantly.

Enjoy!