ROASTED ZUCCHINI BISQUE WITH GARLIC AND BRIAN'S BREAD

Happy Birthday to my oldest grandchild and first grandson, Levon!

My husband's bread cooling on the kitchen counter this afternoon.


I know it's a little late for zucchini in our neck of the woods, but I had one in the refrigerator that a good friend had picked from her garden some weeks back.  I had forgotten all about it!  It wasn't a huge one, and a little more mature than I like, but it was exactly the right weight for this soup, and the skin was tender enough to use it in the recipe. Adapted from my book "The Fiber for Life Cookbook", I posted a slightly changed version of the recipe in the book on this blog in August of 2007.  But I changed the cooking method this time and roasted the zucchini (used less oil, too).  I added the garlic to the broth rather than cooking it with the zucchini this time, as well, resulting in a more assertively-flavored soup.  It really tastes like a very different soup than the original one!  The original is delicious, too, but more subtle-- I like them both, but this was perfect for a cold winter day!

Printable Recipe

BRYANNA'S ROASTED ZUCCHINI BISQUE WITH GARLIC (can be soy-free)

Servings: 3-6

2 1/2 lbs zucchini (unpeeled), cubed (any size, but with skin that you can scrape off with your fingernail 

1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil 
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 3/4 cups “chicken-style” vegan broth (I also like Better Than Bouillon No-Chicken Broth Base)
3 Tbs nondairy milk
3 Tbs silken tofu OR raw cashews (soak cashews in hot water for 10 minutes and drain well) 
salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste 
vegan parmesan substitute (commercial [we like Go Veggie!] or my recipe)

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Mix the zucchini cubes and olive oil on a baking sheet.  Roast in the oven, stirring now and then just until tender and only beginning to brown—you don’t want any charring or too much browning.

Add the roasted zucchini and the sliced garlic to the broth and simmer for 5-10 minutes.  Puree it right in the pot with a stick/immersion blender, leaving it slightly coarse. (OR puree 2/3 of the mixture in a blender-- take cap off the lid to allow hot steam to escape and cover it loosely with a folded tea towel-- and then add back to the pot.)

Blend the nondairy milk and the silken tofu or cashews in a blender or with a stick/immersion blender until smooth.  Add the resulting "cream", and taste for salt and pepper. Heat briefly. Serve with vegan parmesan  sprinkled on each serving.


Enjoy!