May 13

I have a little herb family! I have absolutely no access to the outdoors, but I have a great big window in the apartment and after doing some reading, I learned that you can actually grow herbs indoors. I took the plunge despite the fact that I am pretty notorious for killing my plants. In fact I have killed a total of four cacti in the past couple of years. Who kills cacti? Me, apparently. Now I have rosemary, mint, cilantro, basil and chives under my care and I’ve managed to keep them alive for a whole week so far. I have started using them sparingly, trying to give them time to grow. I couldn’t help but use a bit of basil and chives in this spring green soup.


This soup is all about freshness. There’s something about springtime that makes me want to eat lighter and fresher food. To me, fresh herbs are the epitome of freshness. But, even though it has been sunny and nice here, there’s still a chill in the morning and evening (I even woke up to snow on Monday! Holy cow that was depressing, luckily it disappeared in a couple of hours) so soup is never out of the question. And this is the perfect soup for spring time. Of course, it’s warming but it’s fresh and such a quick and easy light dinner (with a side of buttered, crusty bread perhaps?) for a weeknight.


If you haven’t explored toppings on soup before, I very much encourage you to do so. I usually like some texture in my soup but a smooth, silky soup with a bit of crunch is sometimes all you need. The base of this soup is unmistakably zucchini and asparagus. It is almost neon green, very simply spiced and cooks for just enough time to soften the vegetables. The magic happens with the topping: fresh chives and basil give some kick, almonds and the raw vegetables give crunch and good quality olive oil gives a fruity, fatty finish. Mixed in with the silky soup, it’s a perfect contrast and makes this a nice, light bowl with a bit of a twist.