Courgette (Zucchini) and Cheese Soup

In this week of Thanksgiving, I can only look forward to my own Thanksgiving dinner, which will be tomorrow.  Living in the UK, I made the decision many years ago to celebrate one of my favorite holidays the weekend after the entire USA.  Why?  Because it is too difficult to work all day and coordinate a huge meal in the evening. 

But this is the day before and I decided to make something light and healthy for lunch today.  I have been going to Weightwatchers for over a year and am delighted to be a Gold Member.  So I do try to eat with healthy choices as much as possible.  Which will be difficult tomorrow! 

One thing I have discovered in my quest to lose and maintain my goal weight is that if I don't have soup readily available for lunch, I don't do as well as I should.  So I am always on the lookout for easy soup recipes and this is one I found in the Weightwatcher's Members' Favourites cookbook:

Courgette (Zucchini) and Cheese Soup   -

Adapted from the Weightwatcher's Member's Favourites cookbook:

10 minutes to prepare, 20 minutes to cook

2 Vegetable stock cubes
850ml or 1 1/2 pints, or 3 cups water
1 onion, chopped
450g (1 lb) courgettes, or zucchini  (same thing!), sliced
300g (10 1/2 oz) potatoes, peeled and chopped
200 g (7 oz)  low fat cream cheese
salt and pepper

1.  Add onions zucchini and potatoes to boiling water. Cover and allow water to return to boil.

2.  Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

3.  Add the cream cheese and then liquidise until smooth, using a blender or even a potato masher!

4. Season to taste and enjoy!







In the cookbook there is a cook's tip that reminded me of a high school classmate!  She has recently moved to Tennessee so I am not sure if her excessive zucchini crop was in her new home or her previous home.  But she was looking for ways to use her many zucchini's and this would help her! It said "If you grow courgettes, this is a brilliant way to use them."

I invited a friend to come eat this with me this afternoon and it was interesting to hear her feedback on it.  I lost my sense of smell in April so my taste is a bit odd and I had to add salt. She said the soup bordered on being too salty.....And I felt the soup was a bit bland, but again, she said it was fine. (she is a good enough friend to know this was not sheer politeness but it was fine!)

But fine can be boring.....we agreed it could have benefitted from garlic, or maybe using a flavored cream cheese.  She is also a fellow Weightwatcher and is more aware of what is on offer than I am.  She said there is a variety of low fat flavored cream cheeses and they might be really fun to try.....I will do that next time, because this recipe will be repeated many times, in a variety of forms.


Here is just the recipe:

Courgette (Zucchini) and Cheese Soup -

Adapted from the Weightwatcher's Members' Favourites cookbook: 

10 minutes to prepare, 20 minutes to cook

2 Vegetable stock cubes
1 onion, chopped
450g (1 lb) courgettes, or zucchini (same thing!), sliced
300g (10 1/2 oz) potatoes, peeled and chopped
200 g (7 oz) low fat cream cheese
salt and pepper




1.  Add onions zucchini and potatoes to boiling water. Cover and allow water to return to boil.

2.  Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

3.  Add the cream cheese and then liquidise until smooth, using a blender or even a potato masher!

4. Season to taste and enjoy!

Vegetarian

Serves 6

According to the cookbook  this soup is 16 Propoints per recipe (3 pp per serving)



“There is nothing like soup. It is by nature eccentric: no two are ever alike, unless of course you get your soup in a can.”
Laurie Colwin, 'Home Cooking' (1988)