Eat up! Vegan (or not) Cream of Asparagus Soup

Pretty, delicious vegan cream of asparagus instant pot soup in 45 minutes from fridge to tastebuds #tastetherainbow #vegancooking #healthyliving #soupisgoodfood

This soup exceeded expectations in flavor and versatility! It was so delicious yesterday I had three bowls, and then another for breakfast. Omnivorous readers can also enjoy it with chicken broth and heavy cream, but let me suggest you try it this way first (you can always add cream later).

The subtly brought by the various seasonings allows for different palates — you can lean heavier on the herbiness, or the curriness, or the heat, but the balance of them together works with the asparagus and the richness while still being light. I recommend adding fresh lemon to each bowl rather than cooking with it, but having it there adds a beautiful little kick that brings it together.

Makes about 5 quarts of soup:

INGREDIENTS

2 bunches asparagus (we used the skinny ones)

1 large onion

2 medium carrots

2 celery stalks

2 small zucchini

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

4 tbsp Sesame oil

2 tbsp Ghee

6 cups broth or water with bouillon

3 tbsp of Green Seasonings

1 tbsp of curry powder

1 tbsp pumpkin pie spices

Salt and Pepper (we used white pepper)

Splash of hot sauce (optional)

NOT COOKED

1 cup cashews with 1 cup water

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

DIRECTIONS

Set Instant Pot to Sauté for 6 mins. Add 2 tbsp Sesame oil and all the Ghee.

Sautee onions for 2 minutes then add the rest of the veggies. Stir regularly.

Add broth or water with boullion and season, but be conservative now so you can finish it at the end.

Set Instant Pot to Pressure Cook for 10 minutes, shut off the Keep Warm function, and lock the lid.

While the pot does its thing, put the cashews and 1 cup of water in the blender and make your cashew milk to add at the end.

When time is up, let it Natural Release for 5 minutes or so. Then vent it Quick Release style until it unlocks. Allow it to cool with the lid off until it stops bubbling.

Ladle soup into the mixer until it's 2/3 full since it's hot and contents will be under pressure. Blend on Low to Medium - we like it with some texture.

Add the cashew milk, another tablespoon or 2 of sesame, the juice of 1.5 lemons and more salt and spices as is most delicious.

Save some for later cuz it makes a lovely snack, can be poured over rice or pasta, goes with beans, and freezes well.

RECIPE: INSTANT POT VEGETABLE SOUP (1 hour total)

2nd Day Soup! Keep playing with your leftovers for creative control, nutritional amplification & as a way to exercise responsibly frivolity with food. #DeliciousLeftover

#NaturalBeauty can be so delicious 😋 This #SoupTime happened due to a produce abundance, leftover quinoa, & an interest to eat soon. Find what’s fresh & lovely (& organic & on sale) & go crazy. Soup is a canvas, even as leftovers! 🍲🎨 It’s also awesome as 2nd day soup, and as future frozen meal soup, which is why we like to make a huge pot almost every time. On the other hand, this is so easy you can also feel great about making a half recipe.

Fresh produce is beautiful, healthy, tasty and in the case full of romanescu broccoli math! #FibonacciArt #OrganicProduce #TasteTheRainbow #NaturalCooking #NaturalLiving #CookingVegan

INGREDIENTS:

Veggie substitutions work but keep it 🌈colorful and low in pesticides:

LIQUIDS: 
3 quarts broth (we used #vegan)
1-2 cups water

VEGETABLES:
½ medium cauliflower head
½ large romanescu broccoli head
1 large broccoli flower
1 leek (chopped thin)
1 large onion, (chopped small)
1 large broccoli stalk
1 celery stalk (always use organic!)
3 turnips
3 carrots
3 small beets (we used golden)
3 zucchinis
4-5 garlic cloves (chopped small)
Bunch of basil leaves (save half for end)
Leaves from beets or add chard/kale (thin cut, SAVE FOR END)

SEASONINGS:
¼ cup nutritional yeast
4 tablespoons our GREEN Sensational Seasonings
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons mushroom powder (we use this or this)
2 tablespoons turmeric powder
1 tablespoon cracked white or black pepper (or a teaspoon of hot cayenne)
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
½ tablespoon nutmeg
1-2 inch knuckle of fresh ginger (grated)

OTHERS:
1 cup adzuki beans (substitute carefully since cooking times vary)
2 cups of pre-cooked quinoa
1 fresh lemon (optional)

Fresh grated ginger is wonderful for gut, heart, immunity… Consider micro-planing it into lots of your meals. No need to chop! #cookingtips #eatmoreginger #immunityboost #makingsoup

Add the seasonings to the broth. Seasonings surely bring the flavor, but also boost immunity, moods and mental health.

*soupsoupsoupsoupsoupsoupsoupsoupsoupsoupsoupsoupsoupsoupsoupsoup*

DIRECTIONS:

Peel stalks & blemishes, and chop all veg bite-sized except where indicated.
Separate greens in a separate bowl.

Add broth & beans to pot.
Set Instant Pot to Pressure Cook High for 22 minutes. and shut off Keep Warm setting if you are interested in eating shortly.

Add seasonings to pot. Grate the ginger into the pot.

Add all veg EXCEPT chopped green leafies.

Seal on lid and let it do it’s thing!

All the goodies are in, the settings are ready and it’s time to lock on the lid…. #instantpotsoup #tastetherainbow #healthyhomecooking #healthlifestyles #vegansoup

Use Natural Release for at least 15 minutes. This is a very full pot of soup so we had to also Quick Release it to eat within an hour of starting. If you half the recipe, it will release on its own more quickly, though still take at least 10-15 minutes.

WHEN COOKING IS COMPLETE STIR IN: 

2 cups cooked quinoa
Chopped greens set aside
Salt and additionally season to taste. Use your senses!

Let rest 5 minutes, and 

Serve with fresh squeezed lemon 🍋 (optional)

IDEAS FOR LEFTOVERS:

• SENSORY PLAY: SIGHT, TASTE & TEXTURE: Lightly stir fry or steam more fresh chopped veggies (we added romanescu & zucchini in the soup bowl pic) before adding soup to reheat. Delish, freshly colorful, and new textures 😊

• SENSORY PLAY: SMELL & TASTE: Take in the aromas while while the soup is cold and hot
  ring a complementary flavor into the spotlight with additional seasonings like: > garlic > more of one seasoning

• ECO PLAY: UPCYCLE, DIVERSIFY, TASTE & SMELL: Get creative going through leftovers and see what can be upcycled into new forms of deliciousness! Leftover veg, beans,

Made from refrigerator and pantry to soup bowl and jar in an hour. Always let stuff cool before putting it the fridge for it lowers risks of troubles you don’t want and nurtures longer safe storage.

Enjoy!

A Nervous Perspective

Information Abounds

Our bodies and minds are constantly creating in present life, collecting information about what's new and adjusting as needed to maintain our health and well-being. Sometimes everything works so well we take it for granted; sometimes information doesn't get through clearly, like when muscles are tense, we're emotionally depressed, or there's an equipment failure like when our sensory receptors are damaged in a scar or injury. Sometimes there's even a data conflict, like when our eyes see yummy cake and our nose smells nasty garbage. Our brains must then determine if that smell is related to the cake or not. To find out, problem-solving is essential.

Do you do the detective work to collect and decipher the messages? Sometimes 30 seconds of investigation, collecting additional necessary data to understand the situation is all it takes. Don't give up! It brings new meaning to, 'why just have your cake when you can eat it too?'

Conductivity & Coordination

So the nervous system controls the collection and interpretation of data. That means that we are electrically wired, or energetic. The better tuned our overt receptors (the five senses + perception), the greater our chances of relating effectively with our environment. Furthermore, the better wired we are to our spinal chord (the super highway), and finally our brain (the control center), where gazillions of calculations are performed with the messages from our senses, the better chance we have of understanding our environment. Finally, whether or not we have sound problem-solving and project management skills determines whether or not we take appropriate actions based on the messages (make good choices).

Integrated Sensing

Think about how much coordination and chit chat must go on between Brain and the many bits of Body associated with:

• Pouring a perfect cup of coffee
• Brushing your teeth (don't forget the back ones)
• Creating a unique bouquet of flowers
• Riding a bicycle or driving a car
• Giving a hug personalized just for him or her

Whew! How do we do it? Actually, just the mechanics of breathing alone is mind boggling... What an amazing design.

4-Step Meditative Breathing Attunes You...

Nurturing yourself throughout the day with meditative breathing. Exercise your senses, your muscles, your muscle-bone connections and your mind-body awareness while soothing your psyche. Here's a 4-step method for achieving results:

EXPAND >

• Fill the torso balloon
• Fully
• Pelvic floor to Jaw

EXPLORE > >

• With breath held
• Actively create space between joints 
• Creatively even out tensions where the balloon does not feel smooth
• Sense around for muscles that do not need to participate and relax them
• "Listen" for sensory feedback and gently investigate
• Feel the expansion deepen

SURRENDER > > >

• Set the exhale to the power of gravity
• Release by giving the task to the 24/7 force
• Feel how it stacks you as the spaces deflate
• Rapidly, like how air escapes from a balloon
• Let it work for you

NOTICE  > > > >

• Experience the sensations only available in emptiness and
• Psychosomatically (mentally-physically) prepare for the next delicious expansion

^- ^- ^- ^- ^-  REPEAT  -^ -^ -^ -^ -^

If you're not a "meditator", don't let that word trip you up. Everybody meditates. Some think and feel more clearly while driving, or during physical exertion. For others it's while doing doing repetitive tasks like washing the dishes, crafting, drawing or cooking. Some are excellent and staring at the ceiling and daydreaming. Whatever your existing methods, being a good breather is one of the smartest investments you can make, and increases your global satisfaction quotient. Words synonymous with mediation =

• contemplation
• consideration
• musing
• reflection
• prayer
• rumination
• reverie

The key is to develop a strong mind that lives within an activated body. The mind must be able to disconnect from attaching judgment to everything... When we allow ripening to be part of the process, life works better and we reap better harvests, whether that be deeper relaxation, deeper concentration, or deeper relations.

Need more motivation? Ask a question in comments.