Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Roasted Asparagus Soup (Vegan/SCD Friendly)

Can you tell I'm on a kick here with the creamy soups?  Cashew cream just adds so much flavor and texture to vegan dishes.  Just love it.  My husband told me this soup tastes like an "asparagus cheese soup."  So there you go.  

Lemon and thyme make a strong appearance here.  I load on the thyme for its healing qualities (we all suffer from allergies, and thyme is a great way to decrease phlegm and heal respiratory distress).  Thyme also imparts a mild lemony flavor which I love with asparagus. I find that roasting the main ingredients adds far more to the dish than just boiling or sauteing.  You don't have to roast, but I recommend it.  I served this soup with sauteed lemon pepper Brussels sprouts, and Danielle's crusty rolls...all very complimentary.  
It was like a spring party for my mouth. 
Fabulous. 
The healing benefits of thyme 

Ingredients
-1 lb fresh asparagus, cut in half
-1 medium zucchini, peeled, trimmed and rough chop
-1 medium yellow onion, rough chop
-6 cloves fresh smashed garlic
-3 cups cashew cream*
-4 cups filtered water 
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 tablespoon dried thyme (if using fresh, only add about 1 teaspoon)
-Oil of choice 
-1 tablespoon garlic granules + 1 teaspoon garlic granules 
-1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
-Fresh ground black pepper to taste 

How To
1.  Add the asparagus, onion, zucchini, and garlic to your favorite roasting dish and toss with oil and 1 tablespoon garlic granules
2.  Add to a 400 degree preheated oven and roast for 30-35 minutes
3.  In a large soup pot, add roasted mix, cashew cream, water, salt, and 1 teaspoon garlic granules.  Bring to a gentle simmer, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
4.  Turn down to low, cover and let cook gently for about 30 minutes.  Uncover and turn off heat.  Allow to rest for about 10 minutes, then blend with immersion blender (or blender of choice).
5.  Stir in dried thyme and lemon juice.  Serves 4. 
6.  Garnish with dried thyme, a squirt of lemon and black pepper  

Notes:
* For cashew milk: soak 1 cup of cashews in filtered water 4 to 8 hours.  Drain, rinse, and blend with 3 cups filtered water (I use a Vitamix).  Poor into glass jar and store in fridge up to 4 days.

Shared on: 
Just Another Meatless Monday, Melt in your Mouth Mondays, Monday Mania, Ruth's Real Food 101 (Mondays), Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Traditional Tuesdays, Fat Tuesdays, Allergy-Free Wednesdays, Real Food Wednesdays, Whole Food Wednesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Full Plate Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Freaky Friday, Wellness Weekend, Fresh Bites Fridays, Lunch Box Love Fridays, Allergy-Friendly Fridays, Friday Food, Superfood Sunday, Sunday Night Soup Night
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17 comments:

  1. YUMMY! I looove asparagus soup. Definitely trying this one.

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    1. Thanks Natalie! I hope you get around to make it. It's one of our favorites.

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  • Great minds think alike, eh?! I guess we were both on a veggie soup kick this week. I need to get an immersion blender. I always add all my soups to my Vitamix, but maybe this tool would save me even more time in the kitchen. I love the addition of thyme to the soup-inspired by you as always Amber!

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    1. Totally, Laura. Ha ha. Immersions blenders rock! You must get yourself one my friend. xoxo

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  • Andrea @Andreas KitchenMarch 31, 2012 at 8:13 AM

    Amber, This sounds like an incredible soup! I just found your blog from Cybele's blog hop. I hope you will come and check out my blog too! Have a wonderful weekend.

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    1. Glad you are here. I love Cybele and her great recipes. Thanks for stopping by.

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  • Hi Amber,
    This is a beautiful soup that I can't wait to make. I just love the combination of ingredients in the recipe. Hope you are having a great week end and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

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    1. Thanks Miz Helen.

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  • Debbie @ Easy Natural FoodApril 4, 2012 at 9:33 PM

    Hi Amber, I love this soup! The whole lemon-thyme-asparagus thing sounds divine, and you made it look so pretty! I'm going to make this!!

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    1. Debbie @ Easy Natural FoodApril 5, 2012 at 3:02 PM

      I have chosen this soup as one of my top 3 picks from Sunday Night Soup Night! I have tweeted it, pinned it and shared it on my Facebook page. It will be featured on Sunday Night Soup Night this coming Sunday. Thanks for linking up and I hope to see you again soon!

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    2. Thanks Debbie! So awesome. :-)

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  • This is a good recipe. For those of us, however, who are trying to eat locally and seasonally, asparagus and zucchini are not available at the same time.

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  • Hi There Willom,

    Agreed, you're correct.

    Asparagus came into season last month for us. I'm always thrilled to see it (but usually wait a few weeks for the price to come down a bit). We have organic zucchini year round at my local Coop (from Mexico). Sad it's not local. But regarding the soup, the zucchini is not an integral ingredient, and can easily be left out - the soup will still be delicious. I certainly support my local growers, nearly everything we buy is local and all organic. I offset my non-local purchases by refraining from purchasing other food items, such as dairy/cow products for example, that are incredibly polluting and wasteful.

    But trust me, I feel guilty buying from non-local farms.

    Those who aren't on a restrictive diet can follow a local, seasonal diet more closely. But if your diet revolves around just a few foods, it's nice to at least have the organic option, albeit, not local.

    Thanks for chiming in.

    Be Well,
    -Amber

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  • kristin thompsonMarch 6, 2014 at 9:22 AM

    This soup was crazy good. So rich and creamy. The lemon juice gives it that little kick. I added some kale for some extra nutrition. 5 stars and I will definitely make this again.

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    Replies

    1. What a nice comment, Kristin! Thank you for taking the time to stop by and say hello. We also love this soup! It's perfect for this time of year. Thanks again. Be Well.

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