Vegan Lemon Asparagus Soup

My friend Beth and I cooked together this week, and it was so much fun. She has a phenomenal natural flare for flavours. I love watching her cook, cooking with her, and talking about food with her. Most of all, I love eating with her! I don’t think I have a friend who is as passionate, and gets as excited about the pleasures of vegetarian food like I do. I utterly adore her. I have so many fond memories with her -- eating and celebrating great food all over the world. I have a grin from ear to ear when I think about the countless times we have bitten into some special treats together, and giggled and moaned with delight; then tried to deconstruct the recipe, and plot how we would recreate the present masterpiece.

Today was no exception. She came over to spend the day with me relaxing, laughing, and eating after a very busy time in her life. She is pregnant with her third child, and so I wanted to pamper her with some delicious vegan recipes, just as she has done for me more times than I can recall. It seems I am always over at her house eating! It was nice to reverse positions. This simple vegan asparagus soup was one of the fruits of our labour. And don’t worry! I will be posting all of the other easy healthy recipes in future recipe blog posts.

I have always been a fan of the ubiquitous potato and leek soup. I thought I would try expanding on that idea a little, and adding in some green vegetables. I had been reading an another article reminding me of the importance of maintaining a healthy alkaline balance, and so what better way to celebrate, than to trim some asparagus, one of the most alkalizing foods on the planet. Besides being really alkalizing, asparagus is absolutely loaded with Vitamin C, and a good source of zinc and selenium. It has powerful antioxidants that protect against free radical damage. Asparagus are really low in calories too. The health benefits of asparagus are endless. But, as I am not a health care professional, I will stick to rambling about the virtues of this vegan asparagus soup.

For those of you following The Body Ecology Diet you will relate to this, and if you are looking for delicious body ecology recipes this is your lucky day! I have had a problem with candida. I had to reluctantly take a course of antibiotics last year, during the The Melbourne Theatre Company production of August Osage County. A horrible cold swept through the whole cast, and I fell victim to it in the last two weeks. Needless to say, it wreaked havoc in my system, and I have been trying to repair the damage ever since. Asparagus are a wonderful vegetable to eat if you are trying to restore intestinal health. Asparagus contains inulin, which promotes the growth of friendly bacteria when digested by the friendly bacteria in the large intestine. Asparagus is a natural diuretic. It contains significant amounts of folic acid and B6, which promote heart health and fetal health. Vitamin K, calcium, and magnesium assist with bone health and strength; and manganese and B Vitamins for energy.

But again, Tess, you are a recipe blogger, not a doctor! Yes, I am really only qualified to comment on the taste. This vegan asparagus soup is just delicious. When I think about grilling asparagus, I always serve it with a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Why should this vegan asparagus soup be any different? We started making this body ecology soup without all the lemon, and found that it just didn’t have that extra pop. I turned to Beth, and said “What do you think it needs”? She just laughed, and replied, “Well you know me, I flavour everything with lemon juice”. I turned around, and began furiously juicing every lemon in the house. It just made sense; and turned this vegan asparagus soup from “so-so” to sublime.

If you want this soup to taste exactly like mine, the vegetable stock/broth that you use is important. Not all stocks were created equal. They really do vary in quality and taste. I always use Massel vegetable stock, which I believe is superior in quality and flavour. Massel stocks are vegan, gluten free, lactose free, kosher and free of MSG. When I don't make my own home made stock (I really do need to post that recipe) I always use Massel stocks. I actually prefer to use the stock cubes so I can control the strength. I use 1 stock cube for every 2 cups of filtered water. 

Don’t be afraid to make this vegan soup really really lemony. “She is a friendly tart”. You won’t be sorry. If you need yummy body ecology recipes and allergy free recipes this vegan asparagus soup is a life saver. It is gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free, soy free and DEElicious! Thanks Bethy. I love you!