Souper Bowl Champ : Vegan Roasted Red Pepper, Ginger, Coconut Milk Bisque

This weekend, friends hosted the Souper Bowl. You may wonder if I've had a spelling issue, but trust this is correct. The event was not to celebrate football but held on a chilly February evening in celebration of SOUP! 

We arrived crockpots at the ready. It was a glorious evening of bowl soulfood. I humbly took the throphy (an engraved soup bowl). Perhaps it helped that my bestie was the hostess. But no bother, I wear my victory with pride as I share the recipe for my (ahem, award winning) Vegan  Roasted Red Pepper, Ginger, Coconut Milk Bisque. I apologize that there are no photos. The competition was fierce, or more truthuflly, it was far too much fun to stop for pictures. Enjoy. 

• 8 red bell peppers, roasted, seeded, peeled and rough chopped (could use 3 jars of roasted red peppers instead)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled roughly chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, washed, seeded, deveined and diced
• 1-2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated or diced
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
• 2-3 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
• 2 (14 ounce) cans coconut milk
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup water (if using jarred red peppers, use liquid from jar instead of water)
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Heat a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, add olive oil. When oil begins to shimmer, add onions and sauté until translucent, roughly five to seven minutes. Season onions with salt and pepper.

Add the red bell peppers, garlic, jalapeno, ginger, turmeric, herbs de Provence and let sauté for 3 minutes longer. Add coconut milk, broth, water and Thai sweet chili and bring to a simmer. Cover pot with lid and simmer on low for 30 minutes (or longer).

Remove pot from heat and either use an immersion blender to puree soup directly in pot (I place in sink to limit splash out) or puree soup in batches in a blender.

Once fully pureed, return pot to stove and bring to simmer once more. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.

Serve with garlic croutons

NOTE: Best if made a day before serving. This recipe can be halved.