Free Recipe: Cream of Asparagus, Celery, Fennel & Portabello Soup

There's nothing like the full-bodied flavor of a steaming, cream soup made with fresh, organic vegetables and home-grown herbs!

The original recipe was tasty but for the Christmas season, I had additional vegetables so I wanted to experiment with and use them. I was not disappointed!

My recipe can be found at this LINK at allrecipes.com.

·         1 Lb. Fresh asparagus

·         1 Medium red onion (finely chopped)

·        ¾ Cup of celery hearts (finely chopped)

·         ¾ Cup fresh fennel (finely chopped)

·         ½ Cup baby portabellos (finely chopped)

·         1/2 Cup vegetable or turkey broth

·         3 Tablespoons Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (may substitute with Butter)

 

·         4-5 Tablespoons non-bleached white flour

·         1 Teaspoon Spike (may substitute with Mrs. Dash & Sea Salt)

·         1 Teaspoon ground black pepper

·         I Teaspoon onion powder (or more, as per taste)

·         1 1/4 cups vegetable or turkey broth

·         1 Cup original almond milk (may substitute with cow’s milk or soy milk)

·         1/2 Cup plain Greek yogurt

·         Zest of one medium lemon

·         1 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice (as per taste)

·         1/4  Cup fresh-picked basil

·         Optional: 1/4 Cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1.    Place asparagus, chopped onion, fennel, celery and portabellos in a saucepan with 1/2 cup of broth. Bring the broth to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer until the vegetables are tender. Just before you remove this mixture from stove, add ¾ of the fresh basil.

2.    Place vegetable mixture in an electric blender 

and puree until smooth.

               

3.    Melt coconut oil in the pan that was used for simmering the vegetables Stir while sprinkling flour, spike, pepper and onion powder into the oil. Do not let the flour brown. Allow the mixture to cook approximately 1.5 minutes.

4.    Stir in remaining 1 1/4 cups broth and increase the heat. Continue stirring until the mixture comes to a boil.

5.    Stir the vegetable puree and milk into the saucepan. 

Whisk the Greek yogurt into the mixture, 

followed by lemon juice and lemon zest. 

Stir until heated through, then ladle into bowls. 

Garnish each bowl with 3-4 basil leaves shaping it like a flower.

6.    Optional: Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before adding the basil.