Asparagus Soup

I love soup. It's comfort food that's great to warm you up after a long, chilly (and sometimes in SoCal...rainy) ride. The problem I have found with most pre-made soups is that they are chock full of sodium. Yuck. Trader Joe's for example, has a line of low/no sodium soups but frankly, they don't taste good at all. I keep thinking, "I could do better than this."

So, I've set out on a quest to collect/make some healthy soup recipes that taste great. Best of all, "I know what went in it!"

This recipe originated with a family member who has some dietary restrictions (no dairy). It occurred to me that the soup was pretty much Paelo as per the recipe with very few modifications. The original called for bouillon or veg stock (both sodium-filled unless you can get low-salt) and butter. I substituted water with no-salt seasoning (we use Costco's or Trader Joe's) and EVOO for the butter. Also, asparagus will be coming into season very soon...another reason to use fresh, seasonal ingredients.

*I took pictures but they came out terrible...you'll have to use your imagination.

Ingredients:

EVOO
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1.5 lb asparagus, washed with hard ends trimmed and tips cut off (reserve tips for throwing in whole)
1 small onion, diced
1.5 c water
1/4 c raw cashews
1/8 tsp nutmeg
black pepper
1-2 tbsp no-salt seasoning

Directions:

1. In a pot or deep skillet, heat the EVOO (I dunno...use how much you want). Add the garlic and onion. Heat slowly and avoid browning the garlic/onion. Cook for a few minutes until the onion is transparent.
2. Add the asparagus stalks (remember, save the tips for later to garnish the finished soup).
3. Pour in 1/2 cup water and the no-salt seasoning.
4. Add a sprinkle of ground black pepper and a pinch or two of nutmeg.
5. Simmer until the asparagus are tender.
6. Meanwhile, in a blender, puree 1/4 cashews with 1 cup water. This cashew milk makes the soup rich & creamy without any dairy.
7. When the asparagus are tender, pour in the cashew milk.
8. Cool slightly. Blend until smooth in small batches in the blender or with an immersion blender.
9. Garnish with asparagus tips and enjoy!