Asparagus Soup

This recipe was inspired by one from the January 2004 issue of Taste for Life.  I enjoy this lightly cooked but for those raw foodists out there, this can be made and enjoyed raw in the blender too.  Be sure to blend for a while in a good high-powered blender.

Ingredients:

• 1 small leek sliced
• 1 bunch of chopped asparagus (remove tough ends by snapping off) and chop
• 2 celery stalks chopped
• Zest of one lemon
• 2 cups of non-dairy milk such as almond, coconut, soy or rice milk
• 2 cups spring or filtered water
• 2 T mirin rice wine or white wine (optional!!)
• Sea salt to taste
• Hempseeds to garnish

Preparation:

1. Place all of the ingredients, except for hemp seeds, in a soup pot. Bring the soup to a light boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. (It’s optional to skip this step and prepare a raw soup.)
2. Transfer the soup to a blender and puree until smooth.
3. Return the soup to the pot, add more sea salt if necessary, and simmer for 2 more minutes.
4. Garnish generously with hemp seeds and serve.

Servings:

4