Healthy Leek,Broccoli and Asparagus Soup

Winter's in and its chilly throughout the day...Usually the first thing that comes to my mind is soup. Nothing beats the rain and chill outside like a soup, a creamy one at that. I like to go in for soups which are v creamy, tasty but does not compromise in health.

Leek,Broccoli and Asparagus soup is one such healthy and creamy bowl of heaven. It has all the keywords which are used to denote 'Healthy' and the surprising part for all those 'broccoli' and 'asparagus' haters is that you would be surprised at the taste of this soup. I can say so, cos I am one of you. :)Give it a shot and you would be astounded.




As always lemme start with the essential gist of the nutrients in this soup.

1. Leeks belong to a vegetable family called the Allium vegetables. high intake of Allium vegetables has been shown to reduce total cholesterol and LDL, or "bad" cholesterol levels, while at the same time raising HDL, or "good" cholesterol levels. This can be very important for preventing the development or progression of the blood vessel plaques that occur in atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease. If these plaques grow too large or rupture, the result can be a heart attack or stroke.
   
   
2. Allium vegetables have also been shown to lower high blood pressure, another risk factor for heart attack and stroke.
   
   
3. Asparagus plays a important role for a healthy cardiovascular system.Asparagus contains a special kind of carbohydrate called inulin that we don't digest, but the health-promoting friendly bacteria in our large intestine, such as Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli, do.
   
   
4. Broccoli contains the phytonutrients sulforaphane and the indoles, which have significant anti-cancer effects.
   

This is just the tip of an iceberg.Good reason to have this soup right? I am sending this entry to Ilva's HotM Entry - Quick and Easy

Ingredients

• 1 onion,chopped
  
  
• 1 leek,cleaned and sliced
  
  
• 2 medium sized potatoes, scrubbed and chopped with skin
  
  
• 3-4 cups of water or vegetable stock
  
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
  
• about 1-2 cups of Asparagus, chopped. ( I had used the Asparagus spears for some main course and I had the rest of it which I have used in here)
  
  
• about 2 cups of chopped broccoli florets
  
  
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Method

1.Place the onions,leeks,potatoes,bay leaf and water/stock in a saucepan,cover and bring to a boil - about 10 min.



2.Add the broccoli and asparagus



and simmer for another 10min.



3.Cool slightly,discard the bay leaf and puree in a blender.



4.Return to saucepan and reheat. Add salt and pepper.



Quick and Easy. You can garnish with croutons, parseley or anything of your preferance. We had the soup with Rye Bread slices.