Emerald Green Soup

In what has become an all too familiar scenario, my partner and I have been up to our ears in end of semester writing projects, meaning that neither of us has had much time or inclination to shop. Sunday evening, after 2 solid days spent staring at my laptop, I realized that I really wanted soup, and some sort of fresh bread. Since I had limited ingredients and not much time, I began rooting around in the fridge to explore my options; things were looking pretty grim until I discovered a bag of frozen spinach in the back of the freezer (we usually have fresh greens, but this is an illustration of why it's smart to keep random frozen veggies on hand). The resulting soup was very fresh, herbal and seriously green, as in, it's probably what the Wizard of Oz eats when he comes out from behind the curtain for a little sustenance. A yeast-raised bread would have taken too long, so I made a batch of super yummy (if I say so myself) double cornbread to go alongside it: http://elizaveganpage.blogspot.com/2009/01/double-cornbread.html. And so it was that within an hour, we had an Actual, Home-Cooked Meal: the perfect complement to the brains we'd been frying all weekend!

Seriously Green Soup

Ingredients:

~ 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
~ 2 tbsp. minced garlic
~ 1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
~ 1 cup each: chopped celery, carrots, broccoli stalks (I had the stalks in the fridge & wanted to use them; don't feel obliged!)
~ 2 cups zucchini squash, chopped
~ 1 lb. frozen spinach (or fresh)
~ 1 tsp. each: salt, sage, thyme, marjoram, dill, tarragon (I told you it was herbal!)
~ 1/4-1/2 tsp. nutmeg
~ Fresh black pepper
~ 1 cup fresh, chopped parsley
~ 1 15 oz. can lite coconut milk
~ 1 cup unsweetened soy milk

Directions:
~ In a large pot, heat the olive oil and saute the onions and garlic over a medium flame for about 3 minutes.
~ Add the celery, carrots, broccoli (if using), zucchini and dry spices. Stir to combine and add a splash of water if necessary to prevent sticking.
~ Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened.
~ Add the spinach and fresh parsley, lower the heat and cover. Cook another 10 minutes or so, until everything looks blendable.
~ Add the coconut and soy milks, and puree with an immersion blender, or by transferring in batches to a food processor. The end result should be emerald green, fragrant and perfectly smooth.
~ Reheat to almost (but not quite!) boiling, and serve garnished with a little chopped parsley for some extra greenness.