Meal Prep + Recipes
Creamy Asparagus Cleansing Soup
makes 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes
WHAT YOU NEED:
- 1 ½ LBS asparagus, trimmed
- 1 TB butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 ¼ C low-sodium chicken broth
- Sea salt + red pepper flakes, to taste
- ½ tsp lemon juice
- ½ C cream from the top of a coconut milk can
- Optional: Parmesan cheese, to top
TO MAKE:
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Cut asparagus into ½-inch pieces.
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Cook onion + garlic in the butter over medium heat – cook until tender- about 7-8 minutes. Add asparagus and cook 5 more minutes.
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Stir in the chicken broth, cover, + let simmer 10-15 minutes or until asparagus is softened.
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Using a hand blender or a countertop blender (you may need to blend in batches)- puree soup until smooth. Stir in the coconut cream, salt + pepper flakes, + lemon juice.
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Top with Parmesan if you like or any other toppings like: grilled whole grain bread “croutons,” heart-healthy hemp hearts, or anything you think sounds good!
HEALTH BENEFITS OF ASPARAGUS:
- Being low in calories, but high in water content + has fiber, it fills you up with nutrients and keeping you fuller, longer.
- The fiber content helps improve digestion. The vegetable also acts like a diuretic. (Hence your green + stinky potty time after eating.)
- Asparagus is low in calories, but bursting with nutrients like A, C, E, + K, folate, fiber, potassium, iron, zinc and riboflavin. The most prevalent vitamin is K, an essential nutrient involved in blood clotting and bone health.
- Asparagus is particularly high in the flavonoids quercetin, isorhamnetin and kaempferol. These substances have been found to have blood pressure-lowering, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and anticancer effects in a number of studies.
- Asparagus is high in folate (vitamin B9), an important nutrient that helps reduce the risk of neural tube defects during pregnancy.
- Thanks to potassium, it helps lower blood pressure.
