With the start of fall just mere days away, I am reveling at the thought of my favorite season of eating! Fall food is pure comfort, to me. Squash, potatoes, apples, pears, pumpkins, cranberries and all the other goodness. I just can’t get enough.

Thinking about this season soup comes to mind quite often. Soup is one of my favorite things and while I know gazpachos and chilled soups are a thing, they aren’t the same. I love a good, steamy, cozy bowl or mug of comforting soup and by the time summer is wrapping up, it’s about all I can think about.

DOLE recently approached me to partner together on a seasonally-inspired, produce forward recipe to promote Dole’s Get Up and Grow! Together Tour and Healthy Living Challenge. Taking a page from the fantasy sports playbook, Dole is challenging Americans to think of healthy eating and living as team sports in 2016.

Here’s a little bit more information about Dole’s healthy initiatives so that you can participate & get involved:

Dole’s Get Up and Grow! Together Tour

Bringing healthy-living insights, recipes, free tastings and sharable fruit and vegetable experiences for kids and adults to approximately 400 supermarkets and special events in 42 cities across the U.S. Check out tour dates to get involved.

Dole’s Healthy Living Challenge

Whether you go it alone or recruit your friends, family or co-workers to create a team of fellow health seekers, Dole is challenging you to find a healthier and happier you. Then you can track the growth of your group and compare yourselves against others competing across the U.S. The winning team receives a chef-led dinner party for up to 40 guests. Sign up to participate in the challenge and take positive action toward your own health and happiness.

I love that Dole is inspiring and encouraging Americans to get out, be active and live a healthier lifestyle with a focus on whole, nutrient dense, seasonal foods. I also love that the challenge brings an added layer of competition to the mix, which come on, we all live for a good challenge.

This Smoky Sweet Potato and Apple Soup celebrates the best of the season, it highlights the gorgeous produce of fall and combines fruit and veggies together in a creamy, thick, comforting bowl of soup that can easily be made vegetarian by swapping in vegetable broth for the chicken broth. I like the subtle earthy, smoky heat of cchipotle pepper but if you aren’t one for spicy, you can also swap in 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika, instead. For a more complete meal, I serve this soup topped with a small serving of shredded chicken,  but cooked shrimp, scallops or other seafood would also be great.

Sweet potatoes are one of my personal favorites, a great way to add carbohydrates to my heavy work out days, I find they are incredibly versatile and of course, super delicious. The very subtle sweetness and crisp flavor from the two gala apples pairs nicely with the sweet potato and together with the smoky chipotle flavor you have the perfect balance of flavors.

Smoky Sweet Potato and Apple Soup

gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, nut-free, egg-free, vegan-options

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 -6

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Ingredients 

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• 2 tablespoons olive oil or ghee
• 1 medium white or yellow onion, diced
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 lbs DOLE sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 DOLE Royal Gala apples, cored, peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks
• 4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1-2 canned Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, roughly chopped<br><br>

For Serving (optional):

• 1 DOLE Royal Gala apple, cored, and finely chopped
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• ground chipotle powder or ground smoked paprika

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, sea salt, and black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional 1 minute.
• Add in the sweet potatoes, apple, broth, and chipotle pepper. Bring to simmer and cook, covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 12 to 15 minutes.
• Working in batches, transfer the mixture to a blender and puree until smooth, adding more broth or water, if necessary to reach the desired consistency. Alternatively, use a handheld immersion blender right in the pot. Add the soup back to the pot and season with salt and pepper.
• Serve the soup topped with apples, scallions, a pinch of smoked paprika or ground chipotle.

Notes

If you aren't one for heat, replace the chipotle in adobo with 2 teaspoons smoked paprika