Vegan cream of asparagus soup

Vegan cream of asparagus soup

“Health is the best gift you can give your family and the world.”

Today let’s look at the recipe for a healthy and nutritious dairy-free cream of asparagus soup. Yes, it is a no-dairy, no-flour “creamy” soup. Yet another attempt of mine to introduce a healthy version of a traditional soup without compromising on the taste. The secret ingredient? You will know in a few seconds…

Before that, let’s know a bit about the nutritional value and health benefits of asparagus. It is an excellent source of folate, copper, selenium and vitamins K, B1, B2, C, E and a good source of manganese, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, iron, choline, dietary fibre, pantothenic acid and vitamins A, B3, B6.

Asparagus has a unique combination of anti-inflammatory nutrients and antioxidants. It is one of the few foods that contain the antioxidant glutathione in its readily available form (easily absorbed by the body). Yet another nutritional uniqueness of asparagus is in the form of unusual phytonutrients that reduce the risk of various diseases.

Given all these health benefits, we can forgive this wonder vegetable for its not-so-pleasant smell, can’t we?

Recipe for vegan cream of asparagus soup

Ingredients (for 4 bowls of soup)

• Asparagus – 500 gms
• potato – 1 small, peeled and diced
• onion – 1, peeled and chopped
• celery stalks – 3, trimmed and chopped
• garlic – 2 cloves, chopped
• tofu – 200 gms, cubed (yes, congratulations! you figured it out: this is the secret ingredient) 
• green chilli – 1 whole
• dried rosemary – 1/2 tsp
• water/ vegetable broth (or chicken broth for non-vegans)
• lemon juice – 4 tsp
• salt and pepper

1. Separate the tips of the asparagus, chop coarsely and blanch in boiled water for 5 minutes. Reserve this for garnishing.
2. Trim the remaining asparagus by removing the hard base part of the spear and chop coarsely. Keep aside.
3. Cook the potatoes in water/ broth. When it is almost done, add the asparagus along with the rest of the ingredients (except salt, pepper and lemon juice) and cook until done. Asparagus, if cooked for long, loses some of its nutrients. So try to minimise the cooking time to about 5-7 minutes.
4. Remove the soup off the heat and remember to take out the whole green chili (this is to impart a mild flavor). Once it cools down, blend using a blender until smooth and creamy.
5. Reheat and pour into soup bowls. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice, garnish with the asparagus tips and enjoy!

Recipe Tip:

This asparagus soup tastes great as a cold soup too.

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