To most people, rain is dreary. To me, it’s cheery! To celebrate the much needed rain we got today, I whipped together a summery soup inspired by salads. It’s a light soup but a satiating one. Give it a try and you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

Ingredients

1 head romaine lettuce

1 large white onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp canola oil

4 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced

3 stalks celery, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2L vegetable broth or boiled water and vegetable bouillon

10 stalks asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 heaping cup fresh or frozen peas

1 can (340mL) fava beans and chickpeas

1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped

2 tsp dried mint flakes (or fresh)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat a large pot of salted water over high heat until boiled. Meanwhile, slice the romaine lettuce hot-dog style, flip and slice again so that you have four long skinny quarters. Set aside. Start preparing the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery.

2. Once boiled, add the romaine quarters for 1 1/2 min then use tongs to remove and submerge in ice cold water for a few minutes.

3. Empty water out of pot and add canola oil, heating for about 30 seconds, then add the onion, garlic, carrots and celery. Sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Once softened, add the red pepper and stir. Let soften for a few minutes then add vegetable broth, asparagus, fava beans, chickpeas and green peas. Bring to a simmer then add basil, mint, salt and pepper. Let simmer for about 10 min then serve.

Bon appetit!