We should eat our vegetables every day if not for the taste, for their ability to aid many vital bodily processes. Vegetables have a healing and invigorating power that is not to be underestimated, and putting them into a good tasty soup is an excellent way to get your vegetables...now eat your zucchini!

A very quick and easy recipe for a tasty, healthy soup

With a dollop of sour cream. Eat with your favorite crackers or crusty bread.  I had it with a few Saltines

Use:

2 pounds zucchini - diced

1 medium onion - chopped

1 potato - diced

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (optional) Adds a great flavor if the soup is served cold

2 Tbsp butter or olive oil

3 scallions

2 cloves garlic - chopped

3 cups water

sour cream

several fresh basil leaves

1 Tbsp lemon juice (optional--The lemon juice as well as the sour cream make this a good cold soup)

For the garnish, I used a potato peeler to get a few strips of the skin off the zucchini, then julienne them. They were blanched by simply lowering them in a large spoon into the simmering zucchini mixture for a few seconds.

In a deep saute pan, saute the onion  and scallions for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, potato, and zucchini, and continue to cook about 5 minutes more. Add the water, stir, cover and simmer 15 minutes longer, until the vegetables are nice and tender.  Remove from heat and cool somewhat and puree in batches in a blender, adding the basil leaves one or two at a time. The lemon juice if used, is added at this time. **Note** When adding the zucchini mixture to the blender, watch how much of the liquid is added so it won't be too thin.  Use your discretion to get the desired consistency. Some may like a thicker soup, whiel others a more thin soup. Add the lemon juice at this point if you so desire.  Be sure to taste so as not to let the basil leaves overpower the flavors...otherwise the soup will taste more like pesto. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Soup is On!