A tasty veggie soup to welcome spring

While there's still a chill in the air, you can welcome spring by making this simple, fresh-tasting soup, based on a rustic French recipe. 

This recipe takes 20 minutes to prepare, 25 to cook, and makes 6 servings. Here's what you'll need:

• 15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
• 500 g (2 cups) sweet onion, sliced
• 250 g (1 cup) potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 L (4 cups) chicken or vegetable broth
• 750 ml (3 cups) asparagus, tough stems snapped off, cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) lengths
• 4 cups baby spinach, washed and dried
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) fresh lemon juice
• 1 ml (1/4 tsp) salt (or to taste)
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 75 ml (1/3 cup) low-fat plain yogurt
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) 1% milk
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) snipped fresh tarragon or chives

1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened (two to three minutes). Add the potato and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 20 to 30 seconds. Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Add the asparagus and increase the heat to medium. Cover and cook until tender (four to five minutes). Stir in the spinach and cook just until it starts to wilt (30 to 60 seconds).
3. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Use caution when blending hot liquids, and don't fill the blender more than halfway. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel and hold it securely in place.
4. Return the soup to the pot and heat through. Stir in the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt and milk until smooth.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls and drop small dollops of the yogurt mixture into each, then draw the tip of a knife or toothpick through the yogurt to make decorative swirls. Sprinkle with tarragon.

Each serving of this tasty soup contains the following:

• 84 Calories
• 6 g Protein
• 11 g Carbohydrates
• 3 g Fibre
• 3 g Fat
• 0 g Saturated fat
• 1 mg Cholesterol
• 496 mg Sodium 

A hot bowl of soup shouldn't be relegated to the winter months: you can enjoy it all year round. Give this delicious spring-themed recipe a try. You'll be impressed with how wonderfully it pairs with the warmer weather.