Asparagus Leek Soup: Quick and Easy for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

We are going for a fast and easy soup this week, made ahead since I am traveling and hanging out with my mom. Whenever I want a quick recipe with simple ingredients, I pull out Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express and flip though the 400+, under-30-minutes-to-make recipe sketches. I can almost always find something to whip up. The Asparagus Leek Soup caught my eye since I am a fan of both ingredients and they are plentiful right now.

Asparagus Leek Soup
Adapted from Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express

"Slice the white part of a leek and cook it for three to five minutes in a couple of tablespoons of butter or olive oil along with a smashed clove of garlic, a chopped carrot,  a bunch of chopped fresh asparagus. Add about 6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender; five minutes or so. Puree the ingredients until smooth. You can add a few tablespoons of cream if you want a richer finish."  

Notes/Results: Silky smooth and a good melding of the flavors of the leek and asparagus. Wanting the richer finish that Bittman suggests adding a few tablespoons of cream for, I added non-dairy coconut creamer. (That, and using olive oil, kept it vegan but still give it that richness.) This one goes together in about 20 minutes and would be perfect as a starter for an elegant spring/summer dinner. I would make it again. 

Let's take a cook in the Souper Sundays kitchen where a few friends and their creations await.

Foodycat is here with a creamy Roasted Garlic Soup with Nduja Swirl. (If you aren't familiar, nduja is spicy, spreadable pork sausage from Italy.) She says, "Aside from the nduja, the only ingredient that may be a little hard to find is the goats double cream. This is a new discovery for me, and if you are a goats cheese naysayer then you will not like it but for those of us who love that goaty tang, this cream adds a little extra savour and complexity to the mellow garlic soup."

Mireille of Chef Mireille's East West Realm shares spicy Roasted Pepper Gazpacho and says, "Gazpacho is a chilled tomato based soup originating in Spain but also popular in many South and Central American countries like Mexico. Modern versions may also include watermelon or papaya. The Mexican version is usually a little spicier than the Spanish version. Here is my version of this chilled soup, perfect to enjoy on a hot summer day."

Janet of The Taste Space made both a soup and a salad this week. First up, New Orleans Corn & Roasted Bell Pepper Soup. Janet says, "Reminiscent of my Sweet Pepper Coconut Corn Chowder, I loved how this one was virtually bursting with vegetables. Coconut milk would make this a thick and luscious soup. This version was inspired by one of my favourite cookbooks this year, Soup’s On!, since it is packed with quick and healthy meals. Mark’s inspiration was New Orleans’ Maque Choux, a Cajun-inspired corn soup.
I loved it. Simply delicious. I worked with what we had lying around and it made a light, summery bowl of vegetable soup."

Next Janet shares this salad with a twist, Colorful Veggie Tahini Noodles. She says, "Vegetable noodles, either created with a spiralizer, a shredder, or careful knife skills, can totally change your view on salad. This salad dressing is a fun twist on a creamy sauce, since it is made with tahini with accents from the rice vinegar, mustard and lemon pepper seasoning. As I said, the salad was fun to create, too: spiralized zucchini is tossed with shredded carrots, thinly sliced red cabbage and instead of edamame (which would be good, too), I added sweet sugar snap peas. A bit different but fun for a change. And nice when you do not feel like cooking."

From Tigerfish of Teczcape - An Escape to Food, it's Gado Gado - Vegetable Salad with Peanut Sauce. She says, "The premonition is strong. We are going to have Gado Gado quite often this summer. In fact, we have had it some time ago when we were experiencing early 85+F heat just about two weeks ago, in spring, here in Bay Area, CA. This is take two of Gado Gado using the not-so-classic-traditional mix of ingredients such as bean sprouts, organic romaine lettuce, French green beans (Haricot Verts), and cucumber. The warm peanut dressing was perked up with fresh pineapple, then drizzled over the mix of refreshing vegetables."

A new face to Souper Sundays this week is Jo of yummyvege, blogging all the way from Southern Spain. Welcome Jo! She brings some gorgeous Mini Salad Wraps and says, "Why are my wraps mini? Because they’re easier to eat! You don’t have to worry about the filling falling out the bottom while you’re still only half-way through. And ‘cos they look cute that way too. ... I filled them with the chestnut and sundried tomato pâté I made the other day but these would also be good with hummus or any other veggie spread you have on hand.  The chestnut and sundried tomato pâté give the wraps a sweet flavour that I think make them special."

Thanks to everyone who joined in this week. If you have a soup, salad, or sandwich that you would like to share, just click on the Souper Sundays badge on my side bar for all of the details.

Have a happy, healthy week!