Soups are a staple in my household, especially during the frigid winter months. They are an ingenious way to sneak an abundance of vegetables into your family without compromising on taste. And creating them at home spares you the loaded sodium a’salt’ that most pre-prepared soups are armed with.
While looking through the contents of my fridge, I created this gem of a soup on a whim! I focused on asparagus as the central ingredient and enhanced its flavours and added health benefits with the likes of Vitamin K rich celery; anti-fungal and heart healthy garlic; Vitamin B12 loaded nutritional yeast and immune boosting Vitamin C rich baby potatoes and onions. Talk about getting your multivitamin in liquid form!
So why asparagus? Listed below are a few powerful health benefits of this spear-shaped vegetable.
YOU’RE SWEET ENOUGH ALREADY
If you are a type 2 diabetic, or are at risk of developing it, asparagus may be just the food for you. With it’s high levels of antioxidants to combat the excessive free radicals produced by uncontrolled blood sugars and it’s ability 
to improve insulin secretion from the pancreas, asparagus most definitely has the ability to play an integral role in both the control and prevention of this disease.
“SECONDS PLEASE, I’M EATING FOR TWO!”
Asparagus contains a generous amount of the all important pregnancy Vitamin B9, more commonly recognized as folic acid. In fact, it is has been touted to have the highest folic acid content of any vegetable. The consumption of adequate amounts of folic acid prior to conception play a vital role in the prevention of neural tube defects in newborn infants.
LET’S GET IT ON!
If you are planning to conceive and are consuming asparagus for it’s folic acid, it may just help you set the mood as well! It was known in ancient times for it’s aphrodisiac properties. So light a candle, pour some soup and let the evening begin!
RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
- 8-10 sliced stems of asparagus
- 2 stalks of sliced organic celery
- 2-3 cloves of chopped garlic
- 1 chopped onion
- 10 organic baby potatoes cut in halves
- 3 cups of organic low sodium vegetable broth
- 4-5 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
- ground pepper to taste
- oregano to taste
- 2-3 shakes of Everything Spicy Flavor God seasoning
- 1 tbsp organic coconut oil
CREAMY ASPARAGUS SOUP
1. Place 1 tbsp of coconut oil into a pot that is on medium heat.
2. Once the oil has melted, add the garlic and onions and saute until the onions are translucent.
3. Add in the remaining vegetables (asparagus, celery and potatoes) and season with fresh ground pepper, oregano and seasoning.
4. Pour 3 cups of vegetable broth over the sauteed vegetables and bring the contents to a boil on high heat. Once the contents have come to a boil, stir in the nutritional yeast and turn the temperature down to medium low so that the contents can simmer for 15-20 minutes, uncovered.
5. Turn off the stove and remove the pot from the element, allowing it to cool for approximately 1/2 an hour.
6. Once the contents have cooled, transfer the soup into your high-speed blender, blend and serve! Feel free to garnish your soup with fresh cilantro or green onions.
Dr. Meera Dossa is a licensed naturopathic doctor at Davisville Health. She is certified and licensed to perform parenteral therapy in the province of Ontario and has successfully met the requirements for the Standard of Practice in Therapeutic Prescribing. To book an appointment for naturopathic therapy, diagnostic testing, dietary assessment, or intravenous therapy, please contact Dr. Meera Dossa, ND at 647-705-1242 or [email protected].