Chilled Cream of Leek and Zucchini Soup

Another recipe to use up those ever-invading zucchini. I have found lots of leek soup recipes that involved potatoes, but since I'm not eating those things right now, I had to substitute something to help add veggie-volume, and the zucchini that I got from the CSA last week were screaming, "Pick me! Pick me!" It worked!

This recipe serves, as a first course, six slightly inebriated hungry middle-aged Mermaids who are watching their figures...

Leeks, 4 cups, chopped
Zucchini, 2 to 4, chopped
1 Tbs. olive oil
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, low sodium
2 cups half and half (*but to make it strictly Paleo, use Aroy-D Preservative-Free Coconut Milk)
Zest of one lemon, finely minced
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy pot, heat the oil to medium heat. Add the leeks and stir around for about a minute, till it starts to soften. Then add the zucchini, also stirring into the leeks and oil. Put a lid on the pot, turn the heat down a little, and let the vegetables cook for 7 - 10 minutes (depending on how much zucchini you used), until soft. You'll need to pick up the lid and stir everything around a few times to make sure it doesn't burn.

Add the stock, put the lid on the pot and let the whole thing simmer for another 10 minutes. Take it off the stove and let it cool enough so you can work with it. In small batches, run the soup in the blender (or use a stick blender right in the pot - my favorite method) until it's quite smooth. It's important to run small batches in the blender so that your soup doesn't explode through the lid!

Return the soup to the pot. Add the half and half plus the nutmeg, stirring in well. Taste for seasoning. I added about 1/4 tsp. white pepper, but black is fine, and 1/2 tsp. sea salt. Add the lemon zest. Pour the soup into a container and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least four hours to chill properly.

You can serve this from a pretty clear glass pitcher and pour it into shorter clear glasses, or even martini glasses. Garnish with chives or dill and a lemon slice. You could also top it with just a little chopped smoked salmon or some caviar.

*If you make this soup with the coconut milk, skip the nutmeg, add some ginger slices and lemongrass sticks to the pot while it's simmering (but remove them when ready to blend), add lime zest instead of lemon, and garnish with cilantro sprigs and a few drops of chili oil.

Zucchini Yogurt Dip

I just worked this recipe out today. Not very Paleo-diet with the yogurt, but I live in 2011 and I needs me some dip sometimes!

(Thanks to Sheri, Ramona, Alyce, Sharon, Eileen and Jill for being the brave tasters.)

This is a delicate-tasting dip, so you don't want to serve it with anything too powerful. Good for dipping veggies, but crackers or toast would be okay. I imagine it would be good on a baked potato too!

3 medium-sized zucchini, trimmed and shredded
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 cups plain Greek yogurt (I used the full-fat kind, but I supposed you could go with a lower fat, if you're into that)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp. dried Greek oregano
salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet at medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add shredded zucchini and saute for a few minutes, just until soft and barely cooked through. Remove pan from heat and allow to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk the yogurt to soften. Fold in zucchini, then walnuts. Add oregano, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill until ready to serve.

Roasted Vegetable and Herb Salad

calories: 183; protein: 7g; carbohydrates: 23g; fat: 7g; fiber: 7g

I just made this for my high school reunion. It was a very large salad. The bowl was empty at the end of party! I calculated for healthy portions, so this salad will serve 12 hungry people. It's nice with some grilled chicken.

3 globe eggplant, peeled and diced into 1/2" cubes
4 medium zucchini, diced into 1/2" cubes
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 Yukon Gold potatoes, diced into 1/2" cubes
Olive oil
Juice of 1 or 2 lemons, depending on personal preference
1 jar Mezzetta sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs. Greek oregano
2 handfuls arugula
2 cups curly leaf parsley, stems removed
Crumbled Feta cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Into a large bowl, toss together the eggplant and zucchini with a drizzle of olive oil and the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Spread a thin layer of the vegetables onto two baking sheets. Don't let the vegetables be too crowded in the baking sheets. Roast the veggies for about an hour or until cooked and a little dry. You don't want them to be soggy. Allow the veggies to cool.

In another baking sheet, spread the potatoes, onions and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice, just like the other veggies, and roast them for about an hour, until the potatoes are cooked through and a little crispy on the edges. Allow the potatoes to cool.

In a large salad bowl, toss together the arugula and parsley. Add the vegetables and potatoes. Also add the entire jar of sun-dried tomatoes and the oregano. Toss the salad well. Taste for additional seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with a sprinkling of crumbled Feta cheese on top.

You could also roast some peppers to add to the salad, and also add some pitted Kalamata olives. The salad doesn't need additional dressing because of all the olive oil in the sun-dried tomatoes.