apricots & walnuts | meals worth sharing

my middle eastern heart skipped a beat when i first tasted this soup. i love spinach, but often have a hard time finding ways to serve it for the texture-sensitive mountain man. of course, it never dawned on me that he loves a spinach soup at our local lebanese restaurant, mazza, until i saw this recipe in my favorite cookbook.

the feta topping isn’t essential, but if you can find a raw goat or sheep’s feta, i highly recommend using it. keep this dish vegetarian by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. this soup is super light, so i’d suggest serving it as an appetizer or a light lunch. enjoy!

ingredients

2 tbsp coconut oil
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp sumac
1.5 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground corainder
.25 tsp cayenne pepper
1 lb spinach (frozen works fine)
4.5 cups chicken brother
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
salt + pepper
6 oz raw feta cheese, crumbled

directions

in a large, heavy pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. add the onion and garlic, and saute until translucent. add the sumac, cumin, coriander, and cayenne, cooking for 2 minutes. stir in the spinach, broth, lemon zest and juice. bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, allowing to cook for an additional ten minutes.

puree half of the soup in a blender and return to the pot. if your soup seems too thick, add more broth, and season with salt + pepper. serve hot, topped with crumbled feta.

some of you may recall this prior asparagus soup recipe, that was gluten-free, but not paleo. so here’s take two, with a few variations, and all the great flavor. i actually prefer the paleo version over the original, and if you eat cheese, you can still sprinkle parmesan on top. we prefer this soup warm, but seeing as it’s basically a vichyssoise, it’s really meant to be served cold. if you opt to serve it chilled, just skip the last part of re-heating the soup after blending. let it chill for about 3 hours prior to serving.

ingredients

3 leeks (both the white and pale green parts)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp minced or dried thyme
2 small buttercream potatoes, peeled and chopped (or 1 russet)
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
3/4 cup coconut milk (optional)
lemon juice (optional)
2 lb asparagus, trimmed and chopped
salt + pepper

directions

cut the leeks in half lengthwise, then cut each half crosswise into 1/4 inch pieces. rinse well and drain.

in a large pot, melt the butter and oil over medium-high heat. add the leeks and thyme, then reduce heat to low, cover, and allow to cook till softened. add the broth and potatoes, raising the heat back to medium till boiling. reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and allow to simmer till potatoes are tender.

once the potatoes are tender, add the asparagus, covering till it is bright green (about 3 minutes). remove from heat and let cool slightly. then, puree batches of the soup in a blender. once the soup reaches a uniform consistency, add it back to your pot, stir in the coconut milk, and warm on medium-low heat. season with salt + pepper, and a splash of lemon juice (optional). enjoy!