Asparagus Soup

Serves 4

1 ½ cups filtered water
2 cups chopped asparagus
½ avocado, peeled and chopped
¼ cup chopped celery
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp nama shoyu
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tsp minced onion
1 tsp minced garlic
Leaves from 1 thyme sprig
1 ½ tsp fresh tarragon leaves
Pinch of freshly ground cayenne pepper
Celtic sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

4 asparagus tops, sliced lengthwise
A dollop of natural yogurt

In a high speed blender, combine the water, asparagus, avocado, celery, olive oil, shoyu, lemon juice, onion, garlic, thyme, tarragon, and cayenne and purée until smooth.

Pass through a fine-mesh sieve and season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Once ladled into soup plates, garnish with a dollop of yogurt. If you want an artistic design, run a knife tip through the top a few times to send white veins through the soup and top off with the lengthwise-sliced asparagus.