Creamy Zucchini Soup

A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of spending some time with a few yachties from Israel. We continue to regret that we didn't make it to Israel ourselves and meeting these folks only reinforced our belief that we missed out on something good. Of course, as with most yachtie gatherings, we were surrounded by food and drinks. One of our new friends, Jerry, seemed to have quite an obsession with food, and I spent a good part of the evening talking to him about food and recipes. One particular recipe intrigued me because it was something that I would've never thought to do, and it sounded extremely easy. It was a zucchini soup made with Laughing Cow cheese.

I was not introduced to Laughing Cow cheese until we hit the French Society Islands in the South Pacific. Ever since then it has been a major staple on our yacht; it's tasty, easy to find, lasts forever, and, as long as you don't go overboard, a relatively low-cal snack. Chris and I used to grab a few wedges and some hot baked bread and call it lunch. Before I started to write up this recipe I confirmed that you can indeed find it in America as well. If you'd like a bit more information on the product check out the Laughing Cow website. The cheese comes in many flavors (we like the blue, herb, and normal), and is packaged in small individual wedges.

If you read my Ginger Scones post you'll remember that I tend to overstock on items that Chris and I enjoy. As it turns out we have heaps and heaps of varying flavors of laughing cow cheese aboard. And since we are heading home for a visit in a month it has to be eaten. The abundance of laughing cow cheese along with the cooler nights we've been having seemed like a perfect reason for some Creamy Zucchini soup. The problem was that by the time I went to make the soup I couldn't really remember what, besides zucchinis and laughing cow, Jerry put into his soup. Thank you Google. As it turns out the idea of zucchini soup made with Laughing Cow cheese isn't quite so original after all! After perusing a few recipes I decided on the ingredients I wanted in my soup (I almost never follow a single recipe, but rather use multiple recipes as guides and adjust to my own tastes). I must say I was very pleasantly surprised. This soup is delicious! As a bonus I tested freezing it - and it was just as good two weeks later when re-heated. Furthermore - it is extremely quick and easy to make ... so what are you waiting for?

Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 large zucchini, about 750 grams, roughly chopped
4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)*
1/2 cup basil, fresh, chopped
8 pieces laughing cow cheese, original flavor, unwrapped**
salt and pepper, to taste

*Use more or less broth depending on how thick/creamy you want the soup to be.
**Anywhere from 2-8 pieces works well - if you want a lower calorie soup go for less pieces.

Method
Heat the oil and saute the onions over low heat until soft (avoid browning).

Add remaining ingredients, except Laughing Cow cheese. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and add the cheese wedges. Puree until smooth (if you like you can leave it a bit chunky, although I like mine nice and smooth).

Salt & Pepper to taste. Garnish with whole basil leaves, chopped chives, and/or thin slices red bell pepper (capsicum).

If you want to freeze the soup, let it cool completely then freeze in a freezer bag or tupperware. When ready to eat, thaw and heat over a low flame until warm and bubbly (you can also microwave to reheat).

Enjoy!