Skydancer’s Zucchini Soup

Jo Pagliassotti, an artist who works under the name Skydancer, came up with this savory and versatile soup.

YIELD: 9 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 cups chopped zucchini, cut into chunks
• 2 cups chopped Spanish onion
• 4 cups chicken stock, homemade or canned (if homemade, salt to taste)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons dry summer savory  or 1/4 cup fresh summer savory leaves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon dry basil or 1/2 cup fresh leaves, lightly packed
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Place the zucchini, onion, stock, summer savory, and basil into a pan. Cook over low heat until the vegetables are soft (30 minutes minimum).
2.  Put the cream cheese and a small quantity of the cooked mixture into a blender, and blend until smooth. (Add more liquid if needed to get the cheese smooth.) Pour that into another pan. Add more of the cooked squash and onion mixture to the blender, and blend until smooth (or as smooth as you like it).
3. Blend the rest of the cooked mixture, pouring each blended batch into the soup and cheese mixture as you go.
4.  Once everything is pureed, stir it well to mix in the initial cheese and zucchini blend, and rewarm over low heat if necessary.

PER SERVING:

•  6 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of fiber, for a total of 4 grams of usable carbs and 3 grams of protein.