Zucchini-Spinach Bisque

Like the Asparagus-Potato Soup I made earlier this week, take advantage of fresh summer produce for this creamy bisque!

In a large saucepan, combine 4 and 1/2 cups chopped zucchini with 2 cups vegetable broth, 1 cup chopped red onion, 3/4 cup chopped celery, 2 tablespoons Madeira wine, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh dill, 1/8 tsp. black pepper, a dash of nutmeg, and one minced garlic clove.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add one (6-ounce) package of fresh baby spinach and cook for one minute until the spinach wilts.

Let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a blender. Pulse until coarsely pureed - about 6 pulses. (Note: doing this in two batches is easier, so the blender isn't too full!)

Transfer the pureed soup to a bowl and stir in 1/2 cup plain soy creamer (such as Silk). Ladle 1 cup of soup into each of 6 bowls, and top each bowlful with 4 teaspoons of shredded vegan cheese in place of Asiago - I used the vegan mozzarella from Galaxy Foods. Each serving is 100 calories.

Full confession: I forgot a very important step for this bisque - the spinach! So what I did, when I realized my mistake, was to heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat, and wilt the spinach for about 2 minutes. I then pulsed it separately in a food processor (I had already washed and put away my blender), then stirred it in to the rest of the soup. This method worked fine, but of course follow the original recipe before trying my alternate version!

Cost:
zucchini $2.57
vegetable broth $2.69
red onion $1.58
celery $2.99
dill $1.99
baby spinach $2.50
plain soy cream $1.99
vegan cheese $3.39