Summer Squash Soup with Basil

Part of the garden harvest on first of Sept 

This is one of those soups born out of necessity to use the abundance of summer squash and basil exploding in the garden.   And I used the strategy I learned from the Chocolate and Zucchini blog of thickening the soup a bit with toasted almond meal.  It adds just a bit of earthy flavor and nubby texture...and Pzazz.  

Diced yellow zucchini

Variety of summer squash

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon coconut oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/4 lb. summer squash, cubed (about 4 cups cubed)
(I used yellow zucchini)
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup julienned basil 
2 Tablespoons almond meal, toasted
dash of black pepper
fresh lemon juice



Garden basil

Preparation:

Heat oil in large sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion and saute till translucent. Add cubed squash and saute about 5 minutes. Add vegetable broth and simmer till the squash is tender. Add basil and cook just about 1-2 more minutes. Add black pepper. Let cool a bit and add the toasted almond meal. Puree to desired consistency. Put a squeeze of fresh lemon juice in the bowl as it is served. 








Nutrition per serving:

Yellow zucchini used for this soup

Servings per recipe: 5
Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 80
Total Fat: 5 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 756 mg
Total Carbs: 9 g
Dietary Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 2 g