zucchini apple soup.

...aka healthy recipe #3 (#8 from my list). and apologies, I know I've neglected to share #1 and #2 here, but oh well, we're starting at 3. because this one is really the first recipe that I've cooked by myself from start to finish and that I've made enough tweaks to the original recipe to call it my own (and the one that I photographed to share!)

my friend marci was the inspiration. (if you frequent cast-on cottage, yes, this is our marci!) she's been working out with a trainer and he shared a healthy soup recipe with her. she shared the basics with us last weekend. I bought granny smith apples the next day. and then, the onion and zucchini. on wednesday, martha lent me her immersion blender. ingredients - check!

marci's recipe called for two onions and one apple. I'm not a huge fan of onions, but I love apples (and I had a lot of them)...I substituted an apple for an onion.

I started with a non-stick pan, sprayed lightly with pam (sadly, costco doesn't sell the olive oil version, so this is the plain pam) heated over medium heat. I added a few cloves of garlic, chopped fine and one sweet onion, peeled and chopped.

while that cooked, I sliced the zucchini.

and then added it to the pot.

while that cooked, I peeled the apple, then sliced and diced it. and made the chicken broth. the onion and zucchini were just soft when I added the apple and broth, turned down the heat to low and waited for it to simmer.

then I set the timer for 30 minutes and ate breakfast (and started the latest book for bookclub!)

30 minutes later everything was perfectly cooked and ready to blend.

thanks to the immersion blender, a few minutes later I had soup!

a lovely dinner for one. (or two, or a starter for four). [edited to add - the slightly tart, slightly sweet apple really sets off the zucchini - and you can't tell there isn't any cream in this very creamy soup. I tried it hot and cold and it's delicious both ways...but today I'll be having it hot. with a spoonful of greek yogurt stirred in for a bit more protein!]

here's the recipe:
nonfat cooking spray
3 cloves garlic, chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
1 onion, peeled and chopped
3 medium zucchini, sliced thin
2 granny smith apples, peeled and chopped
3 pints chicken (or vegetable) broth
salt & pepper to taste (I didn't add any salt, but I did add pepper)

coat a non-stick dutch oven with cooking spray. heat over medium heat and add garlic and onion. saute about 3 minutes and add zucchini. saute about 5 minutes (onion and zucchini should be very soft) and add apples and broth. lower heat to low. simmer for 30 minutes. emulsify. done.