May 26, 2015

C & C in the Kitchen: Zucchini Basil Soup with Corn Croutons

I'm coming to the end of my six-week reboot, and with a few exceptions, I stayed on the wagon. I'm going to try to stay off refined sugars completely even after it's over. We'll see how that goes. This weekend we went out to dinner and I threw reboot caution to the wind, and paid for it. I felt so sick the entire night afterwards and it made me realize just how much better I feel when I'm eating good, whole foods. I headed to my reboot recipes to get back on track. This zucchini basil soup proves that healthy eating can be rich and delicious. 


Zucchini basil soup with corn croutons
Serves 6-8 (can be served warm or chilled)

Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
1/2 large yellow onion, rough chopped (I used a full medium-sized onion)
3 garlic cloves minced
3-4 large zucchini (about 1.5 lbs chopped)
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 large jalapeno, seeded and chopped (use the entire jalapeno for more spice)
1/2 generous cup cashews (soaked in water for about an hour)
2/3 cup fresh basil leaves
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp nutritional yeast, optional
salt and pepper
2-3 ears of corn, cooked, kernels removed from cob

Cooking Instructions
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Add the onion and saute until they start to brown slightly (5-8 minutes), stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic and jalapeno and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes.
Add the zucchini and cook for 2 minutes, stirring as you go.
Add the broth - make sure you have enough to submerge the zucchini (add more if needed).
Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool.

While the soup cooks, in your blender, place the cashews (drained from the water), 1 cup of water, basil leaves, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast. Process everything until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Leave the basil sauce in your blender. 

Add soup to blender. Puree until smooth. Move to bowl, add corn kernels. Garnish with chopped basil and serve. 


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