Leek And Sweet Potato Soup by Paleo Diet Lifestyle

Eating (and most importantly preparing) soup is therapeutic.  It takes time to prepare, because you have to chop up a variety of ingredients. The flavors bubble and simmer as they slowly blend together. Even using a spoon to slowly stir your meal is rhythmic and relaxing in itself. 

As a kid, eating soup meant savoring a bowl of Chickarina or Lipton Noodle Soup. Nutrition aside, there is something to be said for a dish that warms you from the inside out. Now that I am older, I have a desire to cook soups that are a little more nutritious. I made a fantastic Turkey soup on Thanksgiving with our leftovers, thanks to this recipe. I even attempted bone broth soup (which was a total failure).

I just purchased leeks at Wegmans, and when I Googled "Leeks and Paleo" I came across this recipe from Sebastien at Paleo Diet Lifestyle. My experience with his recipes has been nothing short of stellar. His recipes are great because of their simplicity, but also because the ingredients always compliment each other well (see here where I reviewed his eBook). So, I was excited to try out one of his soup recipes.

The Good

• Great use of leeks
• Nice consistency with the sweet potatoes
• Filling

The Bad

• Bland - needed a little kick
• Lacking in protein

Overall - 3/5 Stars

Not his best recipe, but one that can be modified to justify cooking it again. The flavors blended well together, but overall it was a bit bland. I modified it by chopping up about a half pound of bacon and tossing the bite sized pieces in. I also added a little bit of chipotle chili pepper. With those two ingredients this soup really packs some flavor.

Your Guide to Paleo Cooking

The blogosphere is filled with people who are passionate about their health, fitness and food. But in the niche segment of the paleo lifestyle, there are tons of brilliant and knowledgeable people contributing to a flourishing community. Everyone is here to interact, share and learn (with varying degrees of each). And while we may only know each other by our online personas this is the first time I have ever truly felt part of a tribe. Our common interests bond us, and being able to share my experiences and relate to others has peeked my interest in the field of health and nutrition. 

It’s great to talk about the more popular bloggers such as Mark Sisson or Robb Wolf, the latter of which got me turned on to the paleo diet. But the community has much more depth than that. As I dive deeper into this subculture, I am continuously finding everyday people doing spectacular things. Over the past few months I have been fortunate enough to interact some of these great people. 

One such blogger in the paleo community is Sébastien Noël over at Paleo Lifestyle Diet. Sébastien is a gifted writer, but where he really shines are his recipes. A few weeks ago, I was given a copy of his newly released eBook to review, and I must say that I am very impressed. I have a ton of cookbooks, but this was my first electronic cookbook. I was a little intimidated, because the PDF is 395 pages - that's a lot of recipes. I thought about going to staples to print out a copy, but a color copy of his recipe book would have been over $200 (c’mon staples).

Don’t Be Afraid of the eBook
Usually, while reading, I like things printed and in my hands, but having an online version makes the recipe book very searchable. It is easy to reference and browse recipes. I just typed in what food I had and the search showed me all the recipes containing my ingredient. In addition, Sébastien did a great job with the organization; the book is broken down by category and really well layed out. The design of the PDF is clean, easy to read, and aesthetically pleasing.

As far as taste goes, I'm not sure I could speak any higher of Sébastien. I made his Beanless Texas Style Chili that blows away Mark Sisson's Bison Chili. The great thing about his recipes is that they are simple. Most have less than 10 ingredients and he doesn't use anything that you'll have to find at an uber fancy grocery store. The combination of spices just work.

I also tried his Pork Chops with Apple and Onions and his Guacamole recipe both with success. But the one that really won over me over was his Baked Salmon with Asparagus and Roasted Beets. My mom made this the other night, and the salmon was so tasty my dad could not stop taking about it. The fish was so moist it almost melted in your mouth, and the asparagus was perfectly crispy. The beets came out a little undercooked, but the rest of the meal made up for that. I will definitely be cooking that again.

Just Try It
All in all, my family and I have loved cooking with Sébastien's recipes. He makes them very easy and approachable, but that doesn't mean they lack flavor. Check out his website where he has a ton of free recipes to try like Sweet Potato And Sausage Soup, Spicy Pulled Pork, Kale Chips, and a ton more. If you like what you see then take a look at his eBook where he compiles over 350 recipes, as well as cooking tips, a meal plan, and an herbs and spices guide (that is beautifully designed). Sébastien is doing great work over at his blog, so I am happy to recommend his recipes. They are simply delicious.