Sunny Summer Squash Soup | Fatfree Vegan Kitchen Recipe

Recipe courtesy of:
Fatfree Vegan Kitchen

Sunny Summer Squash Soup

When I made this, I tasted it before adding the optional ingredients and was ready to stop there--it was simple and delicious. But I couldn't resist trying to make it a little creamier and richer, so I added the nutritional yeast and tahini (plus turmeric for color). I'll leave it up to you to decide which way you like it best.

1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small hot pepper, seeds removed and chopped
2 ribs celery, strings removed and chopped
2 medium (12-14 ounces) gold potatoes, peeled and cut into small dice
1 1/2 pounds small yellow squash, chopped (or young zucchini)
1 pinch white pepper
4 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon turmeric (optional)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
1 tablespoon tahini (optional)
salt and white pepper, to taste (optional)

Garnish: slivers of red bell pepper

Heat a large non-stick or enamel-coated pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, reduce the heat to medium, and cook, covered but stirring every minute or so, until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes (add a little water if it tends to stick). Add the garlic and hot pepper and cook for another minute.

Add all remaining ingredients except the optional ones. Cover and cook until the potatoes are completely tender (they will mash if lightly pressed with a spoon), about 25-40 minutes.

Remove half of the soup and put it into a blender* and puree at high speed until completely smooth. (Be careful--hot liquids can erupt from your blender; I always remove the center cup from the lid and cover the opening with a kitchen towel.) Once it's blended, pour the soup into another pot. Add the remaining soup to the blender, along with any optional ingredients you choose to use, and blend well. Add to the other half of the soup, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Ladle into bowls, garnish with slices of red bell pepper, and serve.

*I like this soup blended smoother than my hand blender can get it.

Makes 4 servings. Without optional ingredients, each contains 122 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (4% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 27g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 28mg Sodium; 6g Fiber. Weight Watchers Core/ 2 Flex Points. With optional ingredients, each serving contains 161 Calories (kcal); 3g Total Fat; (14% calories from fat); 7g Protein; 30g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 34mg Sodium; 7g Fiber; 3mcg B-12. Weight Watchers Flex Points = 3 or Core +1 Point.

Nutritional information is approximate and is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate. "Gluten-free" label is strictly a cataloging tag meant to be helpful for recipe searches and does not ensure that
the recipe is completely free of gluten. Always read ingredient labels carefully and contact manufacturers to make sure that products actually are vegan and/or gluten-free.