Lemony Greens Vichyssoise

The first chilled soup I made turned out so well that I just had to make another! Now for all of you smart-alecks out there, no, this is not really a vichyssoise. A true Vichy is a leek and potato soup with tons of cream. But to me the term implies a chilled potato soup, which is at its core what this soup is. Because I had a feeling that I would miss green things for the few days after wisdom teeth surgery, I added zucchini and a whole bunch of spinach. Instead of cream, I used lemon to really take it to the next level. It's pretty much the same process as the Carrot Ginger soup, except for the last few minutes of cooking. 



Both this and the Chilled Carrot Apple Ginger can be made completely vegan by using olive oil instead of butter and vegetable stock instead of chicken stock. 

You'll need: butter, broth, onion, lemon, potatoes, zucchini, and baby spinach.  And garlic (not pictured because I had no idea it would end up in the soup).

Sauté the onion, potato, and zucchini until soft. 

Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until veggies are soft.

Chopping garlic took me a long time to figure out, so I thought I'd go through it on Dishes. Place your knife on top of the garlic, making sure the garlic is lying as flat as possible (otherwise it will shoot out and no one wants that!). Smash it a couple of times with the back of your hand, making sure to keep those fingers clear of the blade. You're going to need those later. Please forgive my chipped nail polish. I'm waaaaaay too busy thinking up new recipes for y'all to take it off. 

Once they're smashed, the skins should peel right off.

Have at it! Mince it on up... and pretend that this picture also includes me juicing a lemon. Kthxbye. 

Add the garlic and spinach to the pot.

The spinach will wilt with about 5 seconds of stirring.

Blend (or blenderize, as some say (you know who you are)) until smooth. Stir in lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Chill until completely cold. Serve with a small drizzle of olive oil. Don't be weirded out (or sad!) that the soup changes color as it chills. It will still be delicious! 

Lemony Greens Vichyssoise

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 large (or 3 medium) red potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 4 cups stock
• 1 5 oz container baby spinach
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper (more if needed)

1. Sauté onions, potato, and zucchini in a large pot with butter until soft.
2. Add stock and cover, simmering for 20 minutes.
3. Add garlic and spinach. Once the spinach has wilted, purée until smooth with immersion blender or stand blender.
4. Stir in lemon, salt and pepper. 
5. Chill completely before serving. Makes 2 quarts.

NOTE: If using a traditional stand blender, pureé in small batches. Cover blender with a kitchen towel to prevent splatter.