Creamy Sweet Potato-Carrot Miso Soup

This soup that pairs root vegetables, tahini, and miso was inspired by a recipe that  I copied from a Moosewood cookbook a few years ago, which called for more than a cup of tahini and peanut butter. How could it be bad, eh, with that much nut butter in it?  I simplified the flavors and reduced the fat significantly in this recipe, but the soup is still plenty creamy.  This is a great fall soup; you could sub whatever root vegetables you have on hand, and I even think it would be tasty with some greens added in--I just didn't happen to have any on hand the day I made it.  Abiline LOVED this and ate it with gusto for quite a few days. Sawyer would never freely admit that any soup is good, but he did eat it with less drama than usual. We served the soup to some friends who brought vegan sushi over for dinner, and it went quite well with the rest of the meal.  I made rice balls rolled in gomasio (crushed sesame seeds mixed with salt), and put one ball in the middle of the soup bowl and ladled the soup around it.  The leftovers were also good with just some brown rice mixed in.

 2 large sweet potatoes, cut into roughly 1/2 in. dice
4 medium carrots, cut into roughly 1/2 in. dice
1 small yellow or sweet onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4-5 cups water
1/4 c. tahini
1/4 c. chickpea miso (or other light miso if no soy allergy)
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. liquid coconut aminos (or tamari/soy sauce, if no soy allergy)
1 cup cooked brown rice  (optional)

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent and starting to brown. Mix in the sweet potatoes and carrots and saute in the oil for about 5 more minutes. Add the water (enough to cover the vegetables) and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat a bit and simmer for about 20 mins., until the vegetables are very tender but not totally falling apart.  Puree all but about 1 cup of the vegetables in a blender along with the tahini, miso, vinegar, and liquid coconut aminos. Stir the pureed soup back into the pot and add the rice if desired.  

In other Fall treats, we actually did venture out shopping on the day after Thanksgiving to get this chalkboard easel that was on sale at Ikea. We use it to write our words of the day, which Sawyer then promptly erases. Apparently erasing is more fun than drawing.