It's finally getting warmer in Vancouver, which means the farmers markets are showing a much larger variety of produce. The huge zucchini I found at the Trout Lake Market last Saturday inspired this recipe. Now, you may be thinking it's too warm for soup, but luckily you can serve this chilled as well. I chose to top this soup with leftover dressing as well as the zucchini skins. The dressing was a combination of tahini, garlic, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, water, and olive oil. Benefits:

  • Zucchini has antioxidant properties? You bet! You may not normally think of this summer squash to share any similarities with berries, green tea, and garlic, but they too are a wonderful source of vitamin C and other phytonutrients that help to repair cellular damage and protect the body from disease. Summer squash and garlic are also outstanding sources of manganese, which aids in the digestion and synthesis of proteins and carbohydrates among other functions within the body. 
IMG_1124ed

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1-2 tablespoons yellow curry paste (red chilli, shallots, garlic, lemongrass, galangal, turmeric, cumin, coriander seed, cinnamon)

5 large zucchini, trimmed

1/2 yam, diced

4 cups water

sea salt

Melt the coconut oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add onions, garlic, and curry paste. Cook until onions become translucent (approx. 5 minutes).

Peel one zucchini and julienne the skin. Sprinkle with salt and set aside in a sieve. Coarsely chop all of the zucchini and add to the pot. Season with salt, add diced yam and water, and bring to a boil before reducing heat to a simmer. Cook for 20-30 minutes. While vegetables are cooking, gently massage zucchini skins with salt until wilted and rinse with water. Set aside to dry.

When the zucchini and yams are fork-tender, remove the pot from heat and cautiously blend with an immersion blender or in batches in a high-speed blender. Add sea salt to taste. Serve with zucchini skins.

Makes 6 Servings

References

  • Mateljan, G. (2007). The world’s healthiest foods. Seattle: George Mateljan Foundation.

5 Comments