Cream of Potato and Asparagus Soup

Linds,

As you know, I have been majorly sick for the last 3 days. The last time I threw up was in 2011, and Friday night I decided to make up for lost time. I'm feeling better now, but when I eat, I still feel nausea spread over me. Luckily, everything stays where it belongs.

Anyway, people always tell you that soup is what you have to eat when you're sick. So, I made soup. Today. Not Saturday when death was at my door.

I had no idea what food was in the house since I had not eaten anything but peanut butter crackers and Sprite since Saturday, so when I got home I did the eyes-glazed-over, open refrigerator stare for about 5 minutes. Finally, I saw some asparagus that I bought sometime last week. Thank goodness it hadn't spoiled! I can't stand vegetable waste.

So some of my recipe isn't what I would have preferred to have done. For example, I used onion powder instead of onions. Turns out, I had asparagus but no onions in the house. Weird. I also used chicken bouillon instead of broth. Again, no broth. Or perhaps the broth was too high for me to reach in the pantry.

Cream of asparagus and potato soup does not photograph well, but do you see the cute little triangle I made?

Cream of Potato and Asparagus Soup
Serves: 2
Serving size: 1 cup 

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small baking potato, peeled and cubed into 1 inch pieces
1-2 cloves garlic, minces
1/4 cup white wine
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
8 ounces water
4 ounces skim milk
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a 2 quart pot over medium heat. Add the asparagus and potatoes and cook until slightly browned stirring occasionally. Add the garlic. Continue cooking until the garlic is fragrant.
2. Pour in the white wine and let it cook for 2 minutes.
3. Add the chicken bouillon, onion powder, and water. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium low.
4. Simmer for 8-10 minutes  or until the asparagus and potatoes are soft.
5. Blend the asparagus/potato mixture until creamy.
6. Pour the asparagus/potato mixture back into the 2 quart pot and place on low/medium heat. 
7. Pour the milk in slowly and stir continuously. Continue stirring until it is hot all the way through.
8. Add the Greek yogurt and continue stirring as before. 

*This recipe would be very easy to make vegetarian. I even had vegetable broth in the freezer I could have used. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. 
**To reduce the sodium content, use homemade chicken or vegetable broth.

Per 1 cup serving: 265 calories, 9 grams protein, 20% DV iron, 237 mg sodium (10% DV), 179 mg calcium (almost 18% DV)

I was surprised by the iron content in this dish!! I did not realize how much iron is in asparagus. I realize some of this iron's potential can't be realized because of all the dairy I added but eh. I considered making it dairy-free, but I didn't have enough potatoes and didn't want to make a roux or use cornstarch for thickening.

Now for more information about asparagus. It helps you pee. It fights cancer. It makes you smart. Boom.

Actually, that might have been an over-simplification. 

Asparagus does contain two compounds that are natural diuretics, asparagine and potassium. So...when you feel bloated, eat some asparagus (and avoid salt). Asparagus also is full of vitamin C, beta-carotene, and other antioxidants which when included in the diet in the form of TONS and TONS of fruits and vegetables, can reduce the risk of some cancers. Finally, it contains folic acid which is used in DNA synthesis and protein metabolism. Several studies have found that low levels of folic acid in the body are associated with increased risk of developing heart disease or dementia. (Whew! Did you see all that passive voice? Ack!)

Overall, this soup was pretty good. The Greek yogurt almost gave it a cheese-y flavor to me, but my taste buds are off right now. I personally would have liked more salt but am making a conscious effort to begin stepping back on sodium overall. The best part about this soup though is that it did not make me nauseous.

In fact...I'm still hungry. My body wants to make up for lost time I suppose.

--Kit