Recipes
Creamy Asparagus Soup with Lemon and Za’atar
Asparagus is an amazing vegetable — it’s high in Vitamin K, which is important for adequate blood clotting. Vitamin K also works with Vitamin D to help get calcium into our bones.
Asparagus is also a good source of inulin, a special indigestible compound that travels to the intestinal tract and “feeds” beneficial bacteria (the good kind) in our gut. In other words, asparagus makes a great pre-biotic.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil (or feel free to sauté the vegetables in a bit of water for an oil-free soup)
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bunch of asparagus; trim the tough root end and cut into ½ inch pieces
- 1 small head of cauliflower, separated into florets
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 cups reduced sodium vegetable stock
- 2 cups filtered water
- 1/4 cup raw cashews
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- A couple handfuls of baby spinach
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Sea salt and ground pepper to taste
- To serve: a generous dusting of za'atar, as well as some chopped parsley or microgreens. You can usually find za'atar, a Middle Eastern seasoning blend, in the spices section of a well-stocked natural grocery store.
Directions
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Step 1
In a medium soup pot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onions, and cook until onions are soft and translucent, stirring occasionally. Then, add the garlic; stir and cook for about 1 minute.
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Step 2
Add the cauliflower, asparagus, cashews, tahini, and cayenne pepper. Cook 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
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Step 3
Pour in the broth and water, and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer on low until the cauliflower and asparagus are tender, about 10 minutes.
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Step 4
Stir in the baby spinach, remove from heat, and let cool for a few minutes.
Then, working in batches, pour the soup into a blender. Remove the hole that's in the center of the blender lid so steam can escape during the blending process. Cover the lid with a towel (hot liquid tends to erupt), and blend on high.
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Step 5
Pour the soup back into the pot, stir in the lemon juice, and warm to desired temperature.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with a generous sprinkling of za'atar seasoning, and some fresh herbs if desired. Serve alongside some nice salad greens and your favorite dressing.
Notes
