Living to tell the tale and cook the soup …
It has been a very busy few weeks, but thankfully I am alive and well! I say this soooo dramatically because as I have been busy prepping for my first monthly workshop and the April wellness map, I also undertook a harrowing spring trip to Wichita to see my son. Anyone who has been on I-70 (Eastbound or West in Colorado, doesn’t matter), knows the infamy of this road. When we weren’t parked (literally) on the highway because of an accident ahead of us, we were witnessing cars flying into the median. Spring weather out here can go from a 70 degree day to nasty ice storms with sideways wind making roads incredibly dangerous, and we (luckily) lived through and witnessed some of the worst of it. Once we were gratefully off the ice, the high wind sent a tractor trailer into a jackknife directly in front of us (it came to rest about 5 feet in front of us as we slammed on our brakes) blocking the entire eastbound lane. When I say I’m lucky to be writing these words to you right now, it’s only with a slight bit of exaggeration.
That 12 hour journey (which in good weather is 8) and all the activity of launching this love business of mine while balancing the other moving parts of my life completely tapped out my sympathetic (flight or fight) nervous system. I’m grateful that the day after we arrived at our VRBO, I was able to recognize the signs and ensure a quiet morning to reset and feed my parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest) before getting back on the road for a flurry of baseball games.
One of the many beautiful things Ayurveda has taught me is balance. Life will always throw something at you, that is a given, although we can’t always anticipate what that curveball will be. But being able to recognize the tilt toward one direction or the other and use Ayurvedic principals to balance it out in the name of health is a gift.
Once I got home, I couldn’t wait to get back into the kitchen and celebrate Spring (and not going on I-70 again for a long time). I played with this refreshing soup idea (have I mentioned how much I love soup, no matter the time of year?) that is a balance of warming and invigorating with heavy handed black pepper grinds, yet cooling enough to keep my pitta, which tends to rise with the intense temperature fluctuations, in check.
It’s just what the doctor ordered. You can get the printable version of the recipe here. Enjoy!
Asparagus, Spinach and Lemon Spring Soup
Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus (thinnest stalks possible; remove woody stems), cut into 1 inch pieces
1 T ghee
2 shallots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
3 C veggie broth (divided)
2 pinches salt
few sprigs of thyme
1/2 block silken tofu
couple handfuls of baby spinach, triple washed
several grinds black pepper
zest and juice of 1 lemon (zest lemon before juicing)
splash of olive oil
Method:
Saute the shallots and celery on medium high heat in ghee for a few minutes, until shallots are translucent and fragrant.
While shallots and celery are cooking, blend the tofu with 1 cup broth in a blender.
Add asparagus, salt, thyme, blended tofu and remaining broth to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for 10 minutes.
Add spinach and simmer for 5 more minutes.
Remove and set aside thyme springs. Add several grinds black pepper, lemon juice and zest (reserving a few strands for presentation if you like) to the pot and remove from heat. Check that the asparagus is tender, then use an immersion blender to blend to desired soup consistency. Remove leaves from thyme sprigs (they should mostly fall right off) and stir into the soup.
Serve with more black pepper and a dash of olive oil. Enjoy!
