Anna Thomas' recipes never cease to amaze me. Her Zucchini and Basil Soup is outstanding! It tastes creamy, yet there is not a bit of cream in it. The amount of basil seemed excessive as I prepared the soup, but when I tasted it, I was singing the harmony of basil and zucchini for days upon end. This recipe, found on pages 311 and 312 of her newest cookbook, Love Soup, will be one you will return to many times over and serve to guests who don't need pureed food, yet they will be asking for the recipe. I guarantee it!
If you aren't familiar with Anna Thomas, she is the legendary chef of vegetarian cooking. Her first cookbook, The Vegetarian Epicure, published in 1972, revolutionized kitchens across America, bringing vegetarian cooking to a new culinary level. To purchase your own copy of Love Soup, (believe me, you won't be disappointed with this cookbook!) and to see a list of all of her cookbooks, please visit her website at Anna Thomas - Vegetarian Epicure. She has links there for you to purchase her books from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other sites, as well.
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| Zucchini and Basil Soup |
I checked out a copy of Love Soup from the local library for two weeks and had to use a vice grip to get it out of my hands to return it. I purchased my copy from Barnes and Noble the same day I returned the library copy. You can see in the photograph above how many little page markers I have inserted. And although the title of the cookbook implies it has only soup recipes, it actually contains far more than this. My family has also enjoyed other recipes such as her recipe for Kale Salad with Cranberries and Walnuts. Oooohhhh...sometimes I miss those crunchy salads. But thankfully, her culinary talents have brought so much Pzazz to my soup world, as she elevates green soups to a whole new level. The fact that such a legendary chef enjoys green soups as much as I do makes me feel.....well........it makes my eating style feel normal.....almost.
The only element I changed in this recipe for Zucchini and Basil Soup was to substitute coconut oil for olive oil to accommodate my dietary needs. Her cookbook does not provide a nutritional analysis for each recipe and I calculated that using SparkPeople recipe calculator, as I do for all recipes posted on this blog, unless noted otherwise. The nutritional analysis uses coconut oil rather than olive oil.
Anna Thomas' recipe for Zucchini and Basil Soup and other delectable soups is available in her cookbook. I highly encourage you to try it!
Nutrition:
Servings per recipe: 9 Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 107
Total Fat: 6 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 377 mg
Total Carbs: 11 g
Dietary Fiber: 3 g
Protein: 2 g