I just love a warm bowl of soup. I savor every bite and it just slides down so smoothly. All of that salt in soup though keeps me at a distance. So when I found this healthier recipe, I couldn't help but get a little giddy inside.
The other night I had family over to the house and we grilled up some steak and asparagus. I tend to over purchase produce when I don't know how many guests will be expected. We didn't end up using two bunches of asparagus. Since I didn't want it to go to waste, I scoured the internet for recipe ideas. Thankfully, I stumbled upon Diethood's
recipe for a roasted garlic and asparagus soup. I used the recipe as my base, but put my own little twist on it.
LEMON ROASTED GARLIC AND ASPARAGUS SOUP
Ingredients:
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
10 garlic cloves, whole
1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
1 lemon, cut in quarters
2 tablespoons olive oil
Himalayan salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 milk of your choosing (I used skim)
1/4 tsp paprika
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450F.
Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.
Toss asparagus, garlic and chopped onion in a large Ziploc bag. Pour in olive oil and season with pink Himalayan salt and pepper. Squeeze 1 wedge of fresh lemon into bag. Shake well and let it rest for 10 minutes (I like to turn the bag over after 5 minutes).
Pour the contents of the bag onto the baking sheet and arrange asparagus in one layer.
Roast for 12-14 minutes, or until asparagus is soft, stirring once. Use a fork to test if you can pierce through the asparagus.
Remove from oven and transfer to the food processor. I blended it on low for about 45 seconds - 1 minute.
Pour in the broth, coconut milk and skim milk while it's still blending.
Blend until smooth.
Transfer soup to a large soup pot.
Warm soup over medium-high heat, thinning with more broth by 1/4 cupfuls, if desired.
Season with two lemon wedge, paprika, salt and pepper. Continue to taste for seasonings and adjust accordingly.
Ladle into bowls.
Garnish with a touch of paprika, lemon wedge, pepper and drizzle olive oil on top.
