Soup

Creamy Dairy-Free Celery Soup

Dairy free celery soup … wait- can celery soup be made dairy free? Remember those old cans of celery soup? We used them in kinds of casseroles and hot dishes. It was the basis of everything. But I certainly never ate it plain.

But this soup. This celery soup is the bomb. While I’m sure it would be great in all kinds of dishes, it’s stunning on its own. Creamy and silky with just the the right amount of celery essence.

A little handful of cashews take the place of cream and create a dairy free soup while still feeling luxurious. I’m tossing a bit of this in the freezer!

Happy Eats,

Monique

Creamy Dairy-Free Celery Soup

2 tbls olive oil

1/2 medium onion, diced (about 1 heaping cup)

5 cups celery, diced

1 garlic clove

1 tsp salt

3-4 cups broth

1/2 cup cashews (preferably soaked)

1 tbls fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup fresh parsley, loosely packed

Warm the oil over medium heat, adding in the onions. Saute until they begin to soften and brown, about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the celery and continue to saute another 10 minutes.

Add in the garlic clove, salt and cashews. Stir well and saute another minute. Add in the broth and simmer 10 minutes or until all the celery is softened.

Place the soup in a blender with the lemon juice and parsley, blend on high for 60 seconds until creamy.

To serve: Pour into a bowl. Add a drizzle of olive oil (or a good spoonful of ghee) and fresh cracked pepper.

Poblano Avocado Soup with Grilled Corn Salad

Each of these recipes is so good on their own, but when you combine the Poblano Avocado Soup with the Corn Salad, it’s absolutely so good! Perfect for late summer when the corn is perfectly sweet. Serve with a bunch of fresh herbs for extra flavor and presentation. ~monique

AVOCADO POBLANO SOUP

1 poblano pepper, grilled or roasted and skin scraped

1 small avocado

¼ cup raw or toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

2 tbls lime

1 garlic clove, crushed

~1 cup coconut milk

salt to taste

Add the poblano, pumpkins seeds, lime, garlic clove, 1/2 tsp salt and coconut milk to the blender, blend on high until smooth.
Add in the avocado and blend to combine again. This should be a really smooth sauce. Add additional coconut milk or water as needed to achieve a desired consistency.
Taste and adjust salt & lime to taste.

GRILLED CORN SALAD

1 garlic clove, minced

2 ears grilled corn, cut off cob

1/4 cup finely diced grilled red onion

1 tbls minced jalapeno

2 tbls olive oil

1 tbls lime juice

1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

Toss the garlic, corn, onion jalapeno, olive oil, lime and salt

Putting it all together:
Place a scoop of the corn salad into soup bowl, pour the avocado soup around it.

Adorn with fresh herbs: Cilantro, basil, mint, fennel or try parsley, oregano, dill

Curry Soup with Sweet Potato Noodles

Cooking Time
20 minutes

Yields
4 bowls

Ingredients
1 tbls coconut oil

1 leek

1 celery stick

1/2 tsp granulated garlic (or 1 glove minced garlic)

1 tbls minced ginger

1 heaping tsp red curry paste

2 cups spiralized sweet potato

1/2 tsp harissa powder (or a few shakes of cayenne or chili pepper)

2 cups water

2 cup coconut milk

1 cup cooked chickpeas

1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Melt the oil over medium heat, add in the chopped leek and celery. Cook until the leeks begin to get golden brown on the edges, tossing often.

Add in the garlic, ginger and red curry paste- stir and cook for about 1 minute.

Add in the sweet potato, harissa or cayenne, again stirring to coat well. The pan should be quite dry at this stage. Deglaze with 1 cup of water. Add in the remaining water, coconut milk and the chickpeas. Stir until well combined, cover and simmer 5 minutes.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with a big squeeze of lime for freshness.

Notes
This is a simple, satisfying soup that offers good fats, carbs and protein. Add in cooked chicken, turkey or shrimp to really up the protein amount.

Asparagus Soup with Lemon Cream

Prep Time: 10 minutes (plus 2 hours soaking)

Prep Notes: Pre-soaking the cashew nuts will soften them and make them easier to blend; skip this step if time does not allow

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 tbls olive oil
1 cup onions, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
5 cups diced asparagus
1 tbls sherry vinegar
1 cup white wine
2 cups broth
juice of 2 lemons
1/2 cup cashews (soaked 2 hours)
3 tbls chives
sea salt

Directions
Warm the olive oil in a medium to large soup pot. Add in the onions and cook 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring often. Add in the garlic and asparagus, stir well to coat, cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, add in the broth and vinegar. Cover and simmer 5 minutes or until the asparagus is soft.

While the soup is cooking, place the soaked cashews, lemon juice and the chived in a blender and blend until creamy and combined.

Use an immersion blender to blend soup until creamy, or carefully pour into a blender and blend. Add sea salt to taste.

Scoop soup into bowls adding a good dollop of the lemon cream.