Recipe: Creamy Vegan Zucchini Basil Soup

It's starting to feel like soup-weather here in LA. Admittedly, I'm not a huge fan of this recent chill in the air but I do love me some soup so when I ran across this recipe a couple weeks ago I put it in queue. My CSA box has been FILLED with zucchini and basil these last few weeks. Garlic, onions and cashews are staple items in the house so I suspect this soup will find a pretty regular spot in the meal rotation. Oh, did I mention how delicious it turned out? So savory! I modified the original recipe a bit by adding the avocado and doubling the cashews which , yes, means more fat so feel free to cut back if that's a concern.


Creamy Vegan Zucchini Basil Soup

2 Tablespoons of olive oil

4 medium zucchini, cubed

1 large vidalia onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

4 cups vegetable broth

1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, packed

1/3 cups raw (soaked) cashews

1 avocado

additional salt & pepper, to taste

Cook onion in olive oil in a large saucepan for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the chopped zucchini, salt, and pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the broth and simmer until zucchini is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow soup to cool for about 30 minute before proceeding.

Pour into a blender (in 2 batches, if necessary) taking care to avoid burns by not filling the blender more than halfway. Add the basil, cashews, and avocado. Blend until smooth.

Return soup to the pot, season to taste, and keep warm. Pour soup into bowls and garnish with avocado slices and a sprig of basil.

Servings: 4-6

Food: Curried Butternut Squash Dhal

Internet, I can't even believe I'm about to admit this but it's true....I HEART Facebook! Not only has it put me back in touch with tons of long lost friends but it's been an incredible resource for sharing information. I received two Butternut Squash in my most recent CSA Box and no sooner did I put the word out on fb did a flurry of recipes fly my way. Sarah, a friend from back-in-the-day, sent me this amazing-sounding Dhal recipe. Mmm, spices...I couldn't resist!



Curried Butternut Squash Dhal

*1 Medium Yellow Onion, quartered
*1/2 can Coconut Milk
*3 Garlic cloves, sliced
* 1 TBL Ginger root, minced
*1 tsp Garam Masala
*1 tsp Cumin
*1/2 tsp Cinnamon
*1 tsp Real salt or sea salt
*1/4 tsp Coriander
*1/4 tsp Turmeric
* 2 cups Vegetable stock or water
*1 TBL Olive oil
*2 cups Fresh tomatoes, diced
*2-4 Sun-dried tomatoes, minced
*4 cups Butternut squash, peeled & diced
*2 cups Black-eyed peas, cooked
*2 cups Spinach or kale chopped
*1 cup Green peas



Combine onion, coconut milk, garlic, ginger, garam masala, sun-dried tomatoes, cumin, cinnamon, salt, turmeric, coriander and 3 Tablespoons of veggie stock in a blender. Puree mixture to paste.

Heat oil in a large sauce pan. Add spice paste and cook, stirring often for 10 minutes. Add remaining veggie stock, tomatoes and squash. Cook over medium heat until squash is tender, about 20 minutes.

Pour into a blender (in 2 batches, if necessary) taking care to avoid burns by not filling the blender more than halfway. Puree then return mixture to your sauce pan. (I suppose an immersion blender would do the job as well.)

Mix in black-eyed peas, green peas and spinach. Continue to cook, stirring often until spinach is tender, (about 10 minutes)

Serve over Basmati rice or your favorite grain. Farilla and I really enjoyed our Dhal with quinoa and garlic Naan. Mmmm

Thanks, Sarah! We loved this delicious and healthy meal. I'll definitely make this dish again, however, next time I'm going to experiment with being a little more liberal with the spices. Worth noting...this Dhal took me a couple of hours to prepare. When it comes to cooking I'm still, very much, a novice so I suppose my prep time is a little slower than the norm. If you've never prepared Butternut Squash before then consider yourselves warned...this squash is no joke! I spent more time peeling, de-seeding and cubing the squash than prepping any of the other ingredients. That said...ENJOY! It's totally worth the effort. And be sure to let me know if you make this recipe. I'd love to compare notes.

Life: I Heart M Cafe

Life: I Heart M Cafe
Originally uploaded by Sanctuary-Studio

When I have a hankering for a veggie burger one of my favorite stops is M Cafe in Culver City. Pictured here is The Big Macro burger, Kale with Spicy Peanut Sauce, a side of fries (w/ beet ketchup) and Kale Lemonade. As usual everything was delish. Although, the lemonade was a bit too sweet (for me even). Unfortunately, the prices keep us from dining here more often but my love for a good (non-soy based) veggie burger will keep me coming back.

Food: Rosemary Artichoke Hummus

Food: Rosemary Artichoke Hummus
Originally uploaded by Sanctuary-Studio

Very Rosemary-y. I like it but I love Rosemary so others might find it a little overpowering.

From The Inadvertent Gardener:

Rosemary-Artichoke Hummus

2 cloves garlic
3 or 4 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
1 15 oz. can chickpeas
1 15 oz. can quartered artichoke hearts
The juice of one lemon
Three Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

Combine the garlic and rosemary in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 8 to 10 times to chop.

Add the chickpeas, artichoke hearts and lemon juice to the bowl of the food processor. Process for approximately 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl and process again while drizzling in the olive oil. Feel free to add extra olive oil if you do not feel like it’s smooth enough.

Add salt to taste and serve with crackers, bread or vegetables for dipping.