Wild rice soup

I made this soup for breakfast (weird, I know, but I was craving it!) a few days ago but have procrastinated adding it to the blog. With the Uptown Art Fair raging outside my window, now seems like a good time for distraction.

This recipe is from Heidi Swanson's amazing Super Natural Cooking. I am a huge fan of hers (can't go wrong with a Heidi recipe!) and am almost as excited for the release of Super Natural Everyday as I am for Mockingjay (only 17 more days!!!). I had a yam that needed using, so I substituted that for the sweet potato--either is fine. Please note: food photographer, I am not. This soup tastes way better than I managed to make it look.

Creamy Wild Rice Soup
2 T. coconut oil
1 1/2 t. red curry paste
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped (I use whatever I have. I was short on onions this time, so used 1/2 a red one and a bunch of scallions. It still tasted great.)
1 cup wild rice, rinsed
4 cups water
1 orange-fleshed sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
Fine-grain sea salt (I use coarse)
2 t. ground turmeric (I love turmeric so I add a bit more)
1 T. natural cane sugar
1 T. shoyu
1 (14-oz.) can coconut milk
Squeeze of lime juice

Heat 1 T. coconut oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat, then add curry paste, garlic, shallot, and onion, and saute until the onion begins to soften (she says 3-4 minutes; mine seem to take more than 5). Evenly distribute the curry paste.

Stir in the wild rice and 3 cups of the water, and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and cook, covered, for approx. 40 minutes (taste to be sure the rice is done).

Sweet potato croutons (make while the rice is cooking):
A small dice seems to work best for these. Warm the rest of the coconut oil (1 T.) in a skillet over medium-high heat, then add the potatoes and salt to taste; make sure they get coated with the oil. Toss them every few minutes until they're crisp and cooked through.

When the wild rice is tender, add the turmeric, sugar, shoyu, coconut milk, 1 cup water, and 1 t. salt. Stir, return to a simmer, and cook for 5 more minutes. When ready to serve, add a squeeze or two of lime juice and top with the sweet potato croutons. Yum!