Green. It is spring in a nutshell! The mix of vegetables has that "cleansing" quality-- a mix of bitter and astringent -- that my body craves after a winter's worth of hibernating, but the white beans give it a little more body and warmth for the highs and lows of the season.
You really can play with any greens from the farmers market, you want to aim for around 4 cups total. Depending on the vegetables you're using, the cooking time will vary; heartier vegetables go in earlier and leafy later. Basically, your eyes will be your best gage: you want them to get to the spot where they turn bright green, but not so long they lose their vibrancy.
serves 2-4
Ingredients
1TB sunflower or vegetable oil of choice
1 C navy beans cooked (if you prefer a creamier texture, and another 1/2 C)
3-4 C vegetable broth (or water)
3 C asparagus chopped (discard the woody part at the very base of the stalk)
4 stalks celery chopped
3 radishes chopped (optional, but they up the soup's bite)
two handfuls (around 4 oz) of kale, spinach or other leafy green torn into small pieces
1 inch ginger minced or sliced
1 tsp fennel powder (optional)
1 tsp coriander powder (optional)
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
pepper to taste
cilantro (optional garnish)
1/2 lemon
Directions
heat up oil on medium heat
Add celery, ginger
When the celery softens slightly (about 5 minutes) add in the broth and beans
bring to boil
add in cut asparagus, radishes, fennel, coriander and salt
reduce to simmer
keep an eye on it and wait for the asparagus to turn bright green (it won't be too long, maybe 7 minutes max), add in the leafy greens
when leafy vegetables turn bright green (around 3 minutes), puree with immersion blender, or transfer in batches to regular blender
squeeze lemon on each serving
add pepper and cilantro to taste
great alone but can also serve over rice (I love it with short grain brown) or with a side of bread
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