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Big Black Dog: Sweet & Spicy Peanut Soup with Whole Grain Snack Crackers!

January 11, 2010

Sweet & Spicy Peanut Soup with Whole Grain Snack Crackers!




Poor Crackers always seem to play second fiddle to exciting dips and colorful salads. But we love crackers and I make a batch of crackers or breadsticks at least every two weeks. We eat crackers instead of bread for dinner and my husband, a brown bagger from way back, takes a few crackers in his lunch almost every day. So when Spicy Whole Grain Snack Crackers were on the agenda for HBinFive I was happy!

I did divide the cracker dough in half and added Chili Pepper to half and Kosher Salt on the remainder. I had a great time making the crackers and used my Pasta Bike which I highlighted in my Gadgets that Work category. Love my Pasta Bike which makes cutting the crackers so easy! I did make some of the crackers small and served them with a big pot of Chili!




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I was cruising around, looking at some of my favorite blogs and I happened to land on Kayte's blog, Grandma's Kitchen Table. And she was raving about Sweet & Spicy Peanut Soup by Ellie Krieger! However, the Sweet & Spicy Peanut Soup is way outside my comfort zone but yet it sounded so good to me...I think it's the snowbound effect that twisting my senses around! I do not like peanut butter and have never eaten a PB&J sandwich...nope never! And the Soup also had Cayenne Pepper which is something I rarely ever add to anything, just too spicy for me. Yet it sounded too good not to try and perfect for a second round of Whole Grain Crackers!

For the Sweet and Spicy Peanut Soup I did cut down the Cayenne Pepper to just 1/4 tsp and I did eliminate the large onion and scallions and substituted 8 Green Onions. And after my first test taste I did add an additional 1/4 c. of Peanut Butter. But this soup was out of this world, super fantastic and I can't wait to make it again!




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Sweet and Spicy Peanut Soup
Recipe adapted from Ellie Krieger

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced (about 1 cup)
2 medium carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed (2 cups)
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 (14.5-ounce) can no salt added diced tomatoes, with their juices
2/3 cup creamy natural peanut butter
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 cup chopped scallion greens (about 3 scallions)

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over a medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell pepper and carrots and cook, stirring until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Add the cayenne, black pepper, garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the sweet potato, broth, and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

*Puree the soup in the pot using an immersion blender or in a regular blender in 2 batches and return the soup to the pot. Add the peanut butter and honey and stir, over low heat, until the peanut butter melts. Serve warm, garnished with the scallions.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.




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28 Comments:

Blogger theUngourmet said...

This is a soup even my soup hating husband wouldn't be able to resist! Mmm. PB and honey and those great crackers. So good!

January 11, 2010 at 12:19 AM  
Blogger Kathleen said...

This soup sounds super good to me! I like it even more hearing that a non peanut butter eater liked it.
Quite the endorsement!

January 11, 2010 at 2:08 AM  
Blogger kat said...

Your crackers are beautiful & that soup sounds so yummy

January 11, 2010 at 8:27 AM  
Anonymous Erica said...

Your pictures are fantastic!!!!Those crackers are beautiful and the soup sounds delicious!

January 11, 2010 at 9:49 AM  
Blogger Bethie said...

Your crackers are beautiful, but the soup has me intrigued. I think I am going to have to make it this week. Thanks for sharing!!!

January 11, 2010 at 9:54 AM  
Anonymous Kayte said...

Whew...happy you liked it as I was worried. All the recipes I steal from you and I was panicked that you would not like this soup, esp. b/c of the peanut butter. My guys do not like peanut butter either, but they liked this soup. When I was slicing my green onions for the top, I thought of you and how you use them a lot and love them, so I was not surprised that you subbed out and subbed in with those green onions! Now I have try your crackers and they sound delicious and just right with this soup! Gorgeous photos of it all, btw.

January 11, 2010 at 9:57 AM  
Blogger Maria said...

The crackers look amazing! I bet they go great with your soup too!

January 11, 2010 at 9:57 AM  
Anonymous Elle said...

Oh my gosh, that sounds so good! I love everything that's in the soup, so it's got to be delicious. And your crackers look wonderful!

January 11, 2010 at 10:00 AM  
Blogger Barbara Bakes said...

I'm going to make this soup soon! It sounds wonderful!

January 11, 2010 at 10:05 AM  
Blogger Pete Eatemall said...

I have been craving soup. This looks perfect! Thanks 4 sharing!

January 11, 2010 at 10:05 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

I am not much of a soup person but I love those tiny little crackers! They look yummy!

January 11, 2010 at 10:35 AM  
Blogger RJ Flamingo said...

This looks so good! Reminds me a little of the peanut soup in the Colonial Williamsburg cookbook - I have to look that up again. Yum! Your crackers look delicious, too!

January 11, 2010 at 10:52 AM  
Blogger Chats the Comfy Cook said...

This soup is amazing. My husband kept saying that I was making it up about there being peanut butter in it. He does not like peanut butter, to put it mildy.

He wants me to make it again with the peanut butter. So, I can understand your liking it.

January 11, 2010 at 11:36 AM  
Blogger Kim said...

Your crackers turned out beautifully Michelle! Mine didn't come out that great ;D I might try them again soon.

January 11, 2010 at 11:49 AM  
Blogger Joanne said...

Wow, I can't believe that you don't like peanut butter! That is just shocking to me.

This soup sounds amazing...peanut butter and sweet potatoes are a match made in heaven. And your crackers are super cute!

January 11, 2010 at 12:16 PM  
Blogger SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

My crackers didn't turn out quite as pretty as yours but they are good! Your soup sounds like the perfect way to use them.

January 11, 2010 at 12:45 PM  
Anonymous villager said...

The soup and crackers look yummy! My wife is in the HBinFive so I am looking forward to tasting hers soon. Of course she is wanting her own Pasta Bike now to add to her gadget collection.

January 11, 2010 at 4:27 PM  
Blogger TeaLady said...

This was a good soup. Made it for CEiMB and ate with some flat bread/Mediterranean spiced. Good stuff.

Yours looks wonderful. Glad you liked it.

January 11, 2010 at 4:55 PM  
Blogger Catherine said...

Ooh Michelle that soup looks super scrumptious! I could go a bowl right now...perfect for the bitter cold weather up here in NY!

January 11, 2010 at 5:30 PM  
Blogger pam said...

Oh my. Your crackers are so much prettier than mine.

January 11, 2010 at 6:36 PM  
Blogger mb said...

As soon as I saw this soup, I had to make it. Served it to the family for dinner tonight, along with (finally) the pumpkin brioche. Wow. Just wow. Everyone was crazy for both the soup and the bread.

Now if I could just get around to the master bread dough and the crackers. :)

January 11, 2010 at 8:34 PM  
Blogger Cristie said...

The soup sounds delicious, such an interesting combination. Your crackers are darling. I loved making the crackers and they disapeared in seconds! I'm sure yours did as well. Can't wait to see all the posts.

January 11, 2010 at 9:25 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

your crackers are so cute! I tried to make them and wasn't very successful. I'll have to try it again. I had a hard time getting the dough even so some where crunchy and some were doughy.
The soup sounds delish!

January 11, 2010 at 10:35 PM  
Blogger Mimi said...

I'm all for peanut butter and cayenne The cracker and soup both sound delicious.
Mimi

January 12, 2010 at 10:18 AM  
Blogger Ezzie said...

I am so jealous of your crackers! While my matzah crackers came out fine my crackers for the bread braid (spicy ones you show here) came out laughable! Now I have to search your site for your pasta bike! What the heck is that? A pasta machine? I have one that is still in the box. LOL. Great job with the soup also Michelle! You rock!

January 12, 2010 at 11:53 AM  
Blogger Lori E said...

Nom, nom, nom...she said while licking the inside of her bowl. Oh this sounds so good.
I'll make it and then recommend it to my coffee shop guy who puts on a pot of soup every day, many of them my recipes.

January 12, 2010 at 6:02 PM  
Anonymous jay said...

Hmm... well, that soup is out because I don't eat peanuts and I can't eat spices at all! But I'm interested in the crackers! Especially if they're made without yeast! LOL!

January 13, 2010 at 5:22 PM  
Anonymous Cheryl B. said...

This type of weather/season most definetly brings on a desire for soups!!! And around here, with multiples of men in the house, it's best that they be hearty soups ;-}

I too agree that the mass majority of store bought crackers out there are whimpy. There are a couple of brands we like ... but not many at all.

However, around here, for soups and stews, they prefer that I make muffins. Plain 'ole muffins out of Bis. or Jif. mix. Served hot with lots of butter. Yea, they wouldn't qualify for weight watchers lists ;-p

But we do like to eat tuna salad, or egg salad, as well as numerous appetizer type dips on crackers.

My Brian too is totally against peanut butter!!! I make peanut butter cookies. And choc. peanutbutter bars. And my Aunt Mary's peanut butter fudge. And "ruin perfectly good celery by putting peanutbutter on it" o;-p. And if after making any of the above I find that they have been 'raided', I know whom the culprit most definetly is not!!!

But his reason for not likeing it comes from his very young years. He had taken the pail of peanutbutter (remember when it use to come that way?), hidden in the large lower cupboard, and by the time his mom was able to find his hiding spot, he'd eaten over half the bucket!! Man did he get sick. And to this day, he want's absolutely nothing to do with peanutbutter! Silly boy ;-b

Michelle, shoveling that much snow is way better of a work out than actually making it to the gym. You will push yourself a little longer when shoveling than you would in a gym, due to wanting to complete the project. And, while shoveling, your breathing in the freshest of air. Bonus!!

January 13, 2010 at 5:42 PM  

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