Cleansing Creamy Asparagus Soup

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:

  • Cut asparagus into ½-inch pieces.
  • Cook onion + garlic in the butter over medium heat – cook until tender- about 7-8 minutes. Add asparagus and cook 5 more minutes.
  • Stir in the chicken broth, cover, + let simmer 10-15 minutes or until asparagus is softened.
  • 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.
  • 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.