Asparagus Velouté

A velouté (French for velvety) is a very smooth soup.  The asparagus and coconut flavors blend surprisingly deliciously.  Super easy too - and we GAPSters always have lots of chicken broth on hand!

Asparagus Velouté

2 cups chicken broth

1 bunch asparagus

2 cups coconut milk

1.  Rinse the asparagus. 

2.  Put about one cup of the chicken broth in each of two saucepans.  Bring both to a simmer on medium heat.

3.  Meanwhile, break the asparagus into 1 to 2 inch pieces with your hands.  Put the all the tips in one saucepan, and the rest except the pieces that are too tough in the other.  Simmer for about 8 minutes, until the asparagus is tender.

4.  Measure the coconut milk in your blender jar.  Add the contents of the saucepan that has the middle of the asparagus.  Process on high until completely smooth.

5.  Pour the blender contents into the second pan.  Mix and check seasonings (salt, pepper).  Serve lukewarm. 

Chicken broth a la Thai

This has everything to heal and to please.

Put 1 whole chicken in a crockpot and sprinkle lightly with salt, paprika, cumin and turmeric. Cook until the breasts are done, about 2 1/2 hours for my crockpot. Remove the breasts to serve separately. Add 5 cups of filtered water, salt to taste, a bay leaf, herbs and/or a branch of celery. Simmer for another 5 to 6 hours or overnight. The chicken will fall apart, but the broth will be very tasty and healthy. Take a potato masher and mash the chicken to let out more nutrients into the broth. Even the bones should mash somewhat. Then, strain the broth into a saucepan or process it in a blender for a thicker velouté. Add 1 cup of coconut milk (see my first post) and 1/2 cup ginger juice (recipe in next post) or to taste. Add salt to taste. For best results don't boil it again, just reheat gently. Freezes well.

This is the basic recipe. You can also cook carrots and onions in the broth (before adding the coconut milk and ginger) and liquefy them in the blender. Then add the coconut milk and ginger.