Food Bloggers Unite: Feeding South Africa One Lunch at a Time

We all wear many hats.

Mine include celiac advocate, recipe developer, founder of a GF flour company, food blogger, mommy, daughter and friend (not necessarily in that order!). Sometimes these roles intersect more seamlessly than others, but the times when I get most excited about my many roles are those times when, at the end of the day, I know that I have worked collaboratively to help others.

For me, this is usually in the context of the gluten-free world, but at its most base level, it simply involves food. That’s why I am so eager to share about The Lunchbox Fund with you. I have joined with other impassioned and active food bloggers to donate a post to The Lunchbox Fund, in support of their mission to provide daily meals for orphaned and impoverished children in townships and rural areas in South Africa.

Those of us who are gluten-free know what it’s like to go without. To sit idly by while everyone around us eats their fill and we go away hungry. It’s happened to all of us at one time or another, or many. But imagine what it would be like to go hungry every day.

Sixty-five percent of South African children live in poverty, and for them, sponsored lunches at school are often their only meals of the day. Did you know that nearly 20% of all children in South Africa are orphans, approximately 1.9 million of whom are orphaned as a result of HIV and AIDS? If you could, what would you do to help those children receive the nutrition they need while they are in school, becoming educated, so they can reach their full potential? By supporting The Lunchbox Fund, we can all help these children to be fed and nourished, and encouraged to stay in school.

There are so many needs that compete for our time, attention and money, but this week, I ask you to turn your attention to this worthy cause during our Food Blogger Campaign to support The Lunchbox Fund. Their achievable goal of raising $5,000 during this week, will feed 100 South African school children for one full year. Now that’s something we can all feel good about! I’ve donated to the cause, and I hope you will join me.

In the spirit of The Lunchbox Fund, I’m sharing with you one of my favorite lunches this time of year: warm, healthy, easy and filling soup. Soup of any kind is wonderful and so simple to throw together, but I have a soft spot for this particular recipe because I just love sweet potatoes in all their forms. Making a delicious dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free soup from sweet potatoes seemed a natural, and once you taste it, I think you’ll agree that it makes a fantastic lunch or dinner … or both!

(This soup would be delicious with a Crusty French Baguette! YUM!)

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Sweet Potato and Apple Soup

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Hearty, vegan and gluten free sweet potato apple soup is a balm for the soul and the tummy.

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Ingredients

• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced red onion (or 1 Tbs. diced dried onion)
• 2 tsp. finely grated fresh ginger
• 2 apples, peeled & coarsely chopped (Fuji, Gala …)
• 1 celery rib, diced
• 1 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled & chopped into 1 inch or smaller chunks
• 1 qt. vegetable broth
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced – add more or less according to preference (La Morena® & La Costeña® are gluten-free )
• salt & black pepper to taste

Garnish:

• sour cream, dairy or non-dairy (Follow Your Heart®) OR coconut or almond cultured yogurt (So Delicious®)
• grated fresh ginger

Instructions

1. In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium heat, then add the chopped onion and grated ginger. Cook until the onion is translucent, stirring frequently.
2. Add the apples and celery, stirring to coat with remaining oil. Cook for 5-7 minutes while preparing the sweet potatoes.
3. Add the sweet potatoes and vegetable broth, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat once boiling, and partially cover with a lid. Simmer until the sweet potatoes are fork tender, 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of the sweet potato pieces. Add the chipotle pepper.
4. Use an inversion blender to purée until smooth, or alternatively purée in a blender or food processor in batches. Season with salt and pepper, according to taste.
5. Serve warm, garnished with grated fresh ginger and a swirl of sour cream or yogurt, if desired.

Nutrition Information

Yield 6 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 276Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 3mgSodium 337mgCarbohydrates 45gFiber 7gSugar 22gProtein 5g

Please keep in mind that nutrition information provided is per serving, which may vary. While we have taken care to provide you with the most accurate nutritional values possible, please note that this information may differ significantly depending on the exact ingredients and brands that you choose to use to make this recipe. Additionally, where options are given for ingredients, the resulting calculation may include all ingredient options instead of only one per line, skewing the totals significantly.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment (and maybe even a picture!) below or share a photo on Instagram! Be sure to tag me! @gfJules