Zucchini Smoothie

I drank a zucchini and it was delicious.

It stands to reason; Raw zucchini has practically no flavor of its own, so why wouldn't it work in fruit smoothies?

I've long been a fan of putting large portions of baby spinach or deep green kale in my smoothies, and have won over many skeptics.

The zucchini actually added a thick and creamy element that I enjoyed.

Here is my basic template for smoothies:

• About 2-3 cups fresh fruit (or partially thawed frozen) cut into chunks if needed (see list below)
• About 1-3 cups zucchini, remove core and seeds, cut in chunks, leave peel on if tender -- OR About 1-3 cups baby spinach or other favorite raw greens that have a mild flavor

Puree this in the blender, then add:

• About 1-3 cups frozen fruit (I partially thaw it if I'm using mostly frozen fruit)

I often add:

• A scoop of plain yogurt, preferably Greek (about 1/3 cup)
• TB wheat germ



One medium zucchini + fruit
= 6 1/2 cups

• TB ground flax seed 

If the blender is struggling because it is too thick, I add:

• fruit juice or water

Do a taste test. Not sweet enough? I add a little orange juice concentrate or fruit preserves. Too bland? Try just a little frozen lemonade or lime juice or something else with a citric acid kick!

In this batch I used:

• One medium zucchini (about 1 pound) some peel removed, core and seeds removed
• One peach, peeled and pit removed
• One apricot with skin, pit removed
• Fresh blueberries 1-2 cups
• One frozen banana (no peel of course!)
• 12 whole frozen strawberries
• 1 TB apricot preserves

Zucchini Soup with Coconut Milk, Curry and Lemon Grass

I over-planted the zucchini again. Want some? This beautiful soup can use up one large zucchini. Joy joy.
And you can make this recipe vegetarian/vegan

Zucchini Soup with Coconut Milk, Curry and Lemon Grass
For Printable Version Click Here

• 1 medium onion (I used a sweet yellow onion) chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed
• Olive oil or coconut oil -- just enough to saute the onion & garlic, about 1 TB
• 1 large (2 pounds at least, more is fine) zucchini chopped in 1" pieces -- I peeled off some of the skin, but it all cooked down. I also removed the pithy core & seeds, but this zucchini was not overripe so very little was removed.
• 1 can chicken broth or vegetable broth 
• 1 can coconut milk (I used regular, but you may use light)
• 1 TB mild yellow curry
• 1TB fresh lemongrass or 1 Kaffir Lime Leaf, or try some Lemon Thyme? *see notes
• Optional: Mild Cheese: Shredded Mozzarella or Feta or mild Goat Cheese
• Optional: Toasted Pumpkin Seeds *see notes

1. Saute the onion and garlic in a little oil over medium heat until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
2. Add zucchini, lemon grass and about half the broth. Simmer until tender, at least 10-15 minutes. (I covered the pot)
3. When the zucchini is tender, remove the lemon grass if you prefer (see notes), then blend with an immersion blender or transfer to a standing blender and blend until smooth.
4. Return to pot (if using standing blender) and add remaining broth, coconut milk, curry powder and salt and pepper to taste. Stir while heating to serving temperature.
5. I served this with a little shredded mozzarella cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds, along with some crusty sourdough bread. 

NOTES: The original recipe did not call for the lemongrass, but I have a bounty growing in my herb garden, so -- why not? I picked several thick stems with the blades, which are sharp as razors. I chopped it very fine and tossed it in. The fragrance was amazing and it did so much for this soup! The texture after blending was a little fibrous though, and I ended up running my husband's serving through a sieve so he would not complain. I did not mind it. Solution: leave whole and remove before blending. I think a Kaffir Lime leaf or  a little Lemon Thyme would be nice alternatives. Maybe fresh Tarragon?
Here's an excellent tutorial on using lemongrass.

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds: I had some unsalted pumpkin seeds, and just laid them on a baking sheet, sprinkled with seasoning salt and put them under the broiler for about 3-4 minutes until a few were just turning brown. This was so good with this soup!

Chick Pea Coconut Curry

Important note: I have read the ingredient list on the Red Curry Paste, and it contains shrimp. For this reason I no longer call this a Vegan dish, but all you have to do is skip the Curry Paste and add more spices, or find a Curry Paste without shrimp in the ingredients.

So many people wanted this recipe after Liz & Jake's wedding, I thought I would share it here to make it easy.

I took the basic recipe from ABC's page here.

But changed it to our tastes.

MOST important, use  FRESH spices!

I have finally found a wonderful yellow curry and won't use bad curry EVER again. It makes all the difference.

I added Thai red curry paste to the recipe also, and we love it.

 Here's the recipe!
Click here for printable version.

Chickpea Coconut Curry

I cook the whole recipe in my wok.

2 large cloves garlic, pressed, saute in olive oil

add:

2 cans chickpeas, rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes

2 parboiled potatoes, cubed (I used peeled baked potatoes)

3 cups baby spinach

1 can coconut milk

1 tsp Thai red curry paste 

3 tsp yellow curry powder

1 ¼ tsp tumeric

⅛  tsp ground cloves

½ tsp cumin

1 ¼ tsp salt

stir all together, bring to boil, simmer, stirring to help combine 20-30 minutes.

Serve with:

Greens

Rice

If you use dairy, some greek yogurt goes very nicely with this dish!