Spicy Spinach Soup and Avocado Egg Salad Sandwiches

We usually have a soup and sandwich night once a week. Originally this started as a way to use some of the frozen soups up out of our freezer, but now I plan it because we really like soup and sandwich. I enjoy creating new and unusual combinations. 

This soup I created because we had a pile of fresh spinach I needed to use up, and we can only eat so many salads. I didn't want to do a creamy spinach soup, so I started searching the internet for some other ideas. I found there is an Indian soup that had some unusual spice combinations, but I couldn't find one that had the ingredient measurements in American equivalents, or that I had everything to make. So, this is loosely based on Indian Palak. 

The sandwich was recently featured on the foodblog www.relishingit.com. I added radishes instead of onions, and sriracha for some spice, and it was a perfect meal. Ended with some goat cheese honey frozen yogurt, it was a simple, yet elegant weeknight meal. 

Spicy Spinach Soup and Avocado Egg Salad Sandwiches 

For the soup: 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

2 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup diced onion 

4 cloves garlic, chopped 

3 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated 

1 large jalapeno, diced 

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon cloves 

4 cups chicken, pork or vegetable stock 

6 cups fresh baby spinach leaves 

1 cup roasted potatoes, diced 

Sour cream, for garnish

Heat olive oil and butter together in large saucepan. Saute onions, garlic and ginger together all are tender. Add jalapeno and continue to saute until peppers are soft. Add cinnamon and cloves, and stir until combined. Pour in stock, then add spinach leaves and simmer until tender. Add potatoes and continue to simmer for 10 minutes.

Using immersion blender, puree until smooth. Serve topped with a dollop of sour cream. 

For the sandwiches: 

1 avocado 

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 

Salt and Pepper 

5 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and chopped 

2 radishes, diced finely 

1 teaspoon sriracha 

Cut avocado open and scoop out inside. Mash with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, salt and pepper. Combine with eggs radishes and sriracha. Add more lemon juice if needed, and adjust salt and pepper. Serve on toast.