Creamy Leek Soup

When I was still in China 6 months ago, people warned me that I would definitely get fat living in the States. I had my doubts, and secretly told myself I wouldn’t let that happen. The truth is that I have to work out twice as hard as I used to in an exchange for being able to eat whatever and however much I want while still keeping my weight in an acceptable range. It’s hard work, man!

It’s getting cold here in San Francisco and it seems that I have to temporarily remove swimming from my workout list. I am very reluctant to do so. But cutting off one type of workout doesn’t mean that it will stop me from constantly thinking about food and making good food! It’s just impossible. Cooking is too fun to be neglected. Let’s get the priority straight!

OK, what’s good for a chilly weather? If you ask me, nothing is better than a warm and creamy soup. It really helps to comfort your stomach and warm up your body. A good creamy soup can also help you relax. All in all, it boils down to finding a way to thicken your soups. Actually, other than adding heavy cream, there are a few ways to make your soup creamy.

Adding starch is a very classic way of thickening soups, especially in Chinese cooking. I used flour and oil (similar to roux) to enrich this Seafood Mushroom Chowder and bring a special aroma to it. I have also tried mashed potatoes with this chowder. It was equally comforting.

You might be wondering which thickener I added into this creamy leek soup at this point. The answer is none! Instead, we are going to form a nice soup base for the leek by blending other ingredients. Together with onion and celery, puréed yam or sweet potatoes not only adds a touch of sweetness to the soup but also makes the soup base extra smooth and certainly creamy, not to mention that it’s so healthy! Then simmer leek slices in it until tender…

Believe it or not, my mouth is watering as I am describing this to you. Go make some tonight, seriously, because you will love it! 🙂

Creamy Leek Soup

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

• Author: Sharon Chen
• Category: Soup

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Description

Creamy and smooth with no thickening agent added, this vegan leek soup is delicious as it looks!

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium sized yam or sweet potato, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 leek, white and light green part thinly sliced to loosely fill up 2 cups; green part roughly chopped
• 2 cups chicken broth (vegetable broth if vegan or vegetarian)
• 1 cup water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• freshly ground pepper
• cilantro (optional)

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Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add yam, onion, celery and roughly chopped green part of the leek. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the onions are translucent. Stir occasionally.
2. Add chicken broth, water, bay leaf and sea salt into the saucepan (add more sea salt if desired). Bring to a rapid boil and then reduce heat to simmer for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
3. Remove from heat. Discard the bay leaf. Blend everything in a regular blender to form a soup base.
4. Return to medium heat. Add thinly sliced white and green part of the leek into the soup base and then cook for an additional 15 minutes, or until the leeks are tender.
5. Transfer to a bowl. Add a few grinds of pepper, cilantro and serve immediately.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 4-6

Keywords: Leek Soup

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P.P.S. By the way, I did find an efficient way of indoor workout since outdoor swimming is out of the picture for now. This 7 minute scientistic workout has become a perfect replacement that helps kill my guilt of eating whatever. 😀 Happy cooking and eating!