Creamy Zucchini & Mint Soup
It’s the summer and we’d all rather be outdoors than in the kitchen cooking and washing dishes. Our best allies during these months are quick, easy and preferably refreshing meals that take minimal effort and utilize few but nutrient dense seasonal ingredients that provide nourishment and hydration while tantalizing the palate.
Enter this creamy zucchini and mint soup with cashews and pine nuts. It’s refreshing and nourishing and perfect for summer. Just a handful of nutrient dense ingredients, few steps to follow, minimal cooking time and best eaten at room temperature. Bonus points in a heatwave.
Zucchini or courgette is a type of summer squash that is readily available all year round, but most naturally in season during the warm summer months. This vegetable is rich in Vitamin C, and has modest amounts of manganese, B complex vitamins such as folate and pyridoxine (Vitamin B6).
Zucchini is also rich in phytonutrients that promote healthy eyesight, such as lutein and zeaxanthin, powerful antioxidant compounds that work along vitamin C and manganese to protect against free radicals.
Here, zucchini are combined with mint which not only adds freshness, but also acts as a smooth muscle relaxer to aid digestion.
Creamy Zucchini & Mint Soup
Zucchini are sauteed with shallots and garlic, seasoned with herbamare and cooked in water or vegetable broth and then pureed with mint to deliver this refreshing cooling summer soup that is best eaten at room temperature. It can also be eaten warm or cold depending on your preferences.
Author Nissrine Boufawaz @ HolisticNiss.com
- Time 30 minutes
- Difficulty Easy
- Servings 4
- Diet vegan, gluten free
- Category Soup
Ingredients:
- 4 Zucchini (830 G / 6 C once sliced into half moons)
- 1 Shallot, diced
- 1 Clove Garlic, crushed
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Vegetable Broth (for sautéeing)
- 1 Tsp Herbamare or Sea Salt, adjust to taste
- 700 ML (3 C) Filtered Water or Homemade Vegetable Broth
- A Handful of Cashews & Pine Nuts (40 G or 1/4 cup total)
- A Handful of Fresh Mint Leaves (15 G or 1/2 C losely packed)
Method:
- Sautée the shallot in broth or oil on medium heat, with a pinch of sea salt or herbamare until transluscent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add crushed garlic and sautee for an additional minute.
- Stir in sliced zucchini, another pinch of herbamare and sautée for 2-3 minutes.
- Add water or broth and bring to a boil for about 3 minutes, stirring well.
- Switch off the heat, add a handful of cashews and/or pine nuts, cover and let stand for 10 minutes to soften the nuts.
- Add fresh mint and use a hand blender to purée to a smooth consistency. If you don't have a hand blender, add the cooled ingredients to a stand blender and run until smooth.
- Let cool to room temperature, top with pine nuts, fresh ground black pepper and some fresh mint leaves and serve.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container and eaten cold or at room temperature the next day.
