A light, easy, vegetarian friendly recipe to help you reach your goal of nutrition with flavor. Our secret weapon? Why GC Lavender Lemon Pepper and GC Lavender Gourmet Triple Salt, of course! And the clincher – it comes together so fast and is so easy, it’s a go-to when I forgot to plan or I am too busy to create a big meal in the kitchen. Living your best life, after all, should be easy!

So what goodness does a leek have?

According to WebMD.com:

“Leeks are rich in flavonoids, especially one called kaempferol. Flavonoids are antioxidants and may have anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, and anticancer properties, as well as other health benefits.” Sep 16, 2020

According to Medindia.net:

“Eating foods such as leeks help in detoxification of the liver and improve overall liver function. Sulfur compounds present in leek bind the toxins and eliminate them from the body.” May 27, 2017

According to me:

This vegetable’s mild onion flavor and versatility are the bomb! In cooking, leeks add a subtle layer of complex flavor that allows me to incorporate other ingredients and spices without being overwhelmed by onion! It plays well with others! Use it in soups, stews, on the grill, in quiche – its pleasant onion notes are almost sweet, and complement many other meats and vegetables. Low calorie and no onion aftertaste! I am all in! Plus, I have found they last a good long time in the refrigerator! A plus for busy household’s meal planning.

This veg has a scientific name of Allium porrum – if you were wondering – and shares it’s genius with garlic, chives and Chinese onions. The white part of the plant (a bundle of sheath leaves) is the desirable part of the plant, and has a mild onion flavor.

The recipe below showcases this vegetable beautifully, and when using vegetable stock as the base, provides a great vegetarian option.

Before using the leeks, be sure to wash them thoroughly. Because their leave are “nested” they pick up and can hide dirt and sand. But cleaning is easy.

I like to first trim the dark leaves (they are tough and stringy) and the root end from the bottom. Next, I slice lengthwise down the center of the leek, this lets me fan out the individual leaves. Finally rinse well while fanning the leaves out under a stream of slightly warm running water. Make sure to rub out any specks of dirt you might see clinging to the inside. Then slice as necessary for your recipe.

Now the secret to making this soup so healthy and yet so creamy is by thickening the broth via a blender. No dairy is needed. As hot soup and food processors are a recipe for disaster – I prefer the immersion blender method for simplicity and safety!

Using a tall metal bowl and a hand-held immersion blender, blend up around two cups of potatoes and broth taken from pot and then mix back in to soup.

We serve our soup with homemade crusty bread and a dab of sour cream or yogurt, but the soup is substantial enough to go it alone!

Seasoning Tip: GC Lavender Gourmet Triple Salt is a “finishing salt” designed to be added to foods at the end of the cooking process. It is a specially curated blend made with three types of salts – one for melt, natural sea salt for crunch, and Himalayan pink for a pop of intense flavor that allows you to use less (meaning less sodium) while you get more salty punch! So go easy when first using this salt blend, as you will need to use much less than if you were to use table salt! (Another healthy advantage!) In this recipe, however, I leveraged it’s subtle complexity at the beginning of the cooking process, to sweat the leeks in saute. Just remember to taste – you should not need as much of this dynamic player as you would table salt – so don’t over do it!

Also, I use this new GC Lavender Lemon Pepper on everything! From my sunny-side eggs in the morning to soups and stews, to salads. The citrus zing pairs extremely well with the savory lavender and peppery pop giving what ever you use it on a unique “This tastes so good but I can’t place why” magic!