Curried Sweet Potato Soup

It's certainly winter. While Portland has received very little snow we have had or share of freezing tempuratures. The previous week was cold, yet deceptively beautiful and sunny putting everybody in a better mood. Apparrently we went a whole seven days without rain which is good for Portland in January.
Dave and I started running in preparation for the 15k Shamrock Run. He is a beginner to the running game so it's been fun and inspiring for me to play coach. I'm so out of shape myself, but I am a more experienced runner than my boyfriend. First I took him to get fitted for proper running shoes. I can't have him getting hurt. Our schedules require us to run alone half the time, but when we do run together I get to be the one encouraging him along. He doubted his ability to run three miles last week, but he did it. I'm so excited we have something healthy to do together now.
Meanwhile I have been fighting a cough for two weeks. It's not as bad as it was the first few nights. I feel almost normal throughout the days. There is just random painful coughing that seems to come from nowhere... The rest of me feels great. My cough was part of the reason I made last night's dinner. I also knew it would be healthy, inexpensive and delicious. (I'm trying to get that extra weight off after all.) The soup is high in vitamins A and C, low in fat and vegan. Bonus, I made a giant pot for under ten bucks. We'll both get four or five meals out of it. (It could be more, but Dave and I have both been known to put away some soup!)
Curried Sweet Potato Soup (yields about 2 gallons)
About 6 pounds red garnet yams
4 small carrots
1 large onion
2 heads of garlic
3 T fresh grated ginger
Curry powder to taste
Chili to taste (I used dried arbol chilis and some chilli flake
One can light coconut milk
Juice of one lime
Black pepper and salt
Peel and thinly slice all your vegetables. Start by sweating the onions and garlic in olive oil. Add the sweet potatoes, carrots and spices and sweat a bit more. Cover with water. Being to a boil and reduce to a simmer, tasting occasionally to adjust seasoning. Cook until vegetables are tender. Add the coconut milk. Puree with an immersion blender. Simmer for about five more minutes. Finish with the lime juice.
We ate ours with quinoa, garnished with green onion and basil and extra sriracha for me. So delicious and beautiful.