The Best Soup EVER

I am not a soup connoisseur...I haven't been cooking long enough to be one. But this past Monday I made a soup that, thus far in my life, is the best soup EVER. And I'm not being biased because I made it. Brendan's reaction was just as amazed as mine. He took a bite of soup and said, "Gina, this is one of the best soups you've ever made. No joke". Though I cannot take credit for the recipe, I will take credit for doing a terrific job of following instructions! Seriously, if you have time to make this soup over the weekend or sometime in the near future, DO IT. It is so frickin' easy to make and will blow away your taste buds when you try it. You will not regret the decision to make this amazing recipe. 

Sweet Potato, Apple, and Chipotle Soup (from Moosewood Restaurant: Cooking for Health)
Serves 10 (1 cup servings) or 5 (2 cup servings)

Ingredients:
-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
-1 large onion, chopped
-2 garlic cloves, minced
-3 celery stalks, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
-2 large sweet potatoes, peeled & thinly sliced (about 5 cups)
-1 large apple, chopped
-1 tablespoon canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced (add extra for more heat!)
-4 cups vegetable broth
-1 cup water
-1 1/2 teaspoons salt
-1/2 heaping teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
-1 cup unsweetened apple juice

Directions:
1. In a medium soup pot, warm the oil. Add the onions & garlic and cook for 5 minutes. 
2. Add all remaining ingredients, except for the apple juice. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes. 
3. Turn the heat off. Add the apple juice to the pot. Using an immersion blender, or working in batches in a blender, puree the soup until it is smooth. 
4. Enjoy! 

*Note: depending on how much chipotle pepper you use, this soup will be pretty darn spicy. Be sure to have some good bread, cheese, or a glass of milk on the side!