Vitamix Potato Soup Recipe

We have had a few requests for a potato soup made in the Vitamix. Maybe it’s the cold weather in Australia at the moment that is turning everyone to this comforting vegetable.

It makes sense!

The potato’s scientific name, Solanum tuberosum is derived from the Latin word meaning “soothing” (Solanum). The Potato has some pretty cool family members too. These being the tomato, eggplant, pepper and tomatillos.

The humble potato is a great source of vitamin B6 and good source of potassium, copper, vitamin C, manganese, phosphorus, niacin and dietary fibre, and pantothenic acid. They also contain a variety of phytonutrients and have antioxidant activity as well as a unique tuber storage proteins, such as patatin, which exhibit activity against free radicals. Most of the food value of a potato is in the form of starchy carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are nothing to be scared about! They are the human body’s primary fuel!

This doesn’t mean to go crazy! Although I do love a good Potato cuddle everything must be done in moderation. Eat to suit your needs and activity levels.

Potatoes generally have a bad name. This is because most people eat potatoes in the form of greasy French fries or potato chips and even baked potatoes are loaded with fats such as butter, sour cream, melted cheese and bacon bits. Add processed sauces on top of potatoes and you have yourself a potential heart attack!

Yeah, no thanks. I’ll have my potatoes but without the side of heart attack.

Let’s keep things simple and celebrate that the potato is in fact quite a healthy food which is low in calories and high in fibre, offering significant protection against cardiovascular disease. Woo!

Potato and Sweet Pea Soup
Submitted by Raw Blend
Makes – 750ml
Serves – 2

Ingredients

• ½ cup (70g) frozen peas
• ½ cup (60g) potatoes, cooked
• ¼ cup (60g) sour cream or substitute (we used our VEGAN SOUR CREAM recipe)
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. massels stock
• ¼ tsp. salt

Method

1. Steam your potatoes until they are cooked all the way through.
2. Put all the ingredients into the Vitamix 2L container in the order listed and secure the lid.
3. Select Variable 1. Turn the machine on and quickly increase the speed to 10, then override to High.
4. Use tamper to press the ingredients into the blades if required.
5. Blend for 3-6 minutes or until desired temperature is reached.
6. Stop the machine and serve.

Why do I have to cook my Potatoes?

In general, vegetables consumed raw are bright in colour, juicy and fresh flavoured. The potato certainly doesn’t fall into this category. Although they can be eaten raw, their starchy texture and slight bitterness are unappealing to most. Like those in grain, the starches in potatoes are indigestible and provide little nutritional value unless they have first been cooked.

If consumed uncooked, potatoes pass through the upper intestine with little change and arrive in the lower intestine largely intact where the intestinal bacteria begins the fermentation process. What is the result of this fermentation process? The production of gas! This can cause bloating, cramping and flatulence. Although these problems aren’t a direct threat to our health they are inconvenient and uncomfortable… to say the least.

If you are going to consume them raw make sure a lot of care is taken to remove all traces of soil from the skin. You don’t want to catch any foodborne illness.

Potatoes also produce two alkaloids, solanine and chaconine, that are dangerous to humans. Ordinarily, a potato contains only a small amounts of both. However, sprouted or green potatoes can have unusually high quantities of solanine. Solanine can cause nausea, cramping, diarrhea, headaches and in extreme cases it is known to cause organ failure and death. I’m sorry… Death? Well then…

If the potato is green,
Be it baked, raw or steamed.
Don’t eat it at all!
It should never be seen!

Yes… the dangers of a green potato are poem worthy…

So if you see something like this forming in your kitchen… Stay away!

Peel it well and make sure to cut out any green or discoloured flesh.

Here are some interesting facts about Potatoes to leave you with…

1. In 1995 the potato became the first vegetable to be grown in space when seeds were germinated on the spaceshuttle Columbia.
2. The Incans in South America were the first people to cultivate the potato as long ago as 200BCE
3. In 1845 an outbreak of a disease called late blight decimated the Irish potato crop, which in turn caused the Great Irish Famine, believed to be responsible for over 1 million deaths in Ireland and the migration of a further million.
4. The highest voltage from a potato battery was 538.1 Volt DC achieved in Germany in July 2009.
5. Potatoes are environmentally friendly. They’re easy to grow and don’t require massive amounts of water, fertilizer or chemicals to thrive.

Now I am jealous that potatoes have made it to outer space and not me… hmmmmm… one day 🙂

Now, go forth and POTATO!

For more Vitamix Recipes visit the Raw Blend Recipes Page.