Creamy Asparagus Soup

I of course realized after I finished the last post that one of the main tenants of the blog was going mostly meat free, so I figured I'd better pull out another yummy soup recipe that's actually vegetarian...and really good!!

Also, this is a GREAT baby food. My son Sol loves this (minus the nut part). I got this here at Self.com.

Creamy Asparagus Soup

Serve with a whole-grain roll and a piece of fresh fruit to turn this light starter into a filling meal.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 teaspoons butter
• 1 small onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 leek, trimmed of all but 1 inch of dark-green top, sliced
• 1 celery stalk, sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• White pepper
• Pinch of nutmeg (optional)
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts

Preparation

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil; add asparagus (make sure water covers asparagus). Cook 5 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup asparagus water. Remove 16 asparagus tips; cut in half lengthwise; set aside. Heat butter in a medium saucepan over low heat until melted. Cook onion, leek and celery, covered, stirring occasionally, until soft but not brown, 10 to 16 minutes. Add salt. Add broth; bring to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, 8 minutes. Puree broth mixture, asparagus (not tips) and reserved asparagus water in a blender, in 2 batches. (Remove center part of blender lid to prevent hot liquid from bubbling over. Instead, hold a folded dish towel over hole in cap.)

1. Return pureed soup to pot; heat until it just reaches a simmer. Season with pepper and, if desired, nutmeg. Cover; remove from heat. In a small pan, toast pine nuts over medium-low heat, shaking pan occasionally, until nuts are fragrant and browned in some spots, about 6 minutes. Season nuts with salt. Divide soup among 4 bowls; top each with 8 asparagus-tip halves and toasted pine nuts.

The Skinny

93 calories per serving, 4.2 g fat (1.4 g saturated), 10.3 g carbs, 3 g fiber, 6.5 g protein