Creamy Asparagus Soup

My favorite part about making a yummy soup is serving it with fresh baked bread! For Christmas last year my boyfriend gave me a great book for baking in the mountains. At first I was intimidated by baking bread but by following the recipes in my high altitude baking cook book it was pretty hard to screw it up. Now every chance I get the time to make bread I'm in the kitchen kneading the dough by hand . If you have thought about baking bread I totally suggest jumping right into it because it sure does make soup a complete meal.

This recipe is quite easy and yummy! I made this soup before I bought my immersion blender and well it a little messy pouring portions into blender so I totally suggest using my new favorite soup gadget, an immersion blender.

•  1 lb of asparagus
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (vegan? try using coconut or almond milk)
• 4 cups veggie broth
•  S&P + Lemon Pepper
• 2 tbs sunflower oil (olive oil works too)

Preheat the oven to 325. Chop the asparagus into 1/2 inch pieces (reserve a few of the tips for garnish). Toss the asparagus pieces into a bowl with 1 tbs oil and a dash of lemon pepper. Bake at 325 for 10-15 minutes or until asparagus is tender. Meanwhile, pour 1 tbs of oil into a large pot on medium heat. Once the pot is hot add the garlic and onion, cook for 3-5 minutes. When the asparagus is done add it to the pot along with the veggie broth and cook for 5-10 minutes. Use your immersion blender carefully to puree the soup. (If you do not have an immersion blender pour the soup in small batches into a blender and blend until smooth.) At this point you should slowly add in the cream and stir well to blend. 

Serve warm with the asparagus tip for garnish.