Zucchini Soup with Cotija Crisps
I am going full force on this better for you diet here in 2016. I’ve been thinking of more ways to incorporate an abundance of veggies into my family’s meals, without skipping on enticing flavors. One way to get that goal accomplished is by making a hearty vegetable soup, but a lot of times my young son(6 years old) will refuse to eat his veggies if he can see them. This problem has lead me to the marvelous solution of pureeing my vegetable soup. Making it impossible for my son to see vegetables, and turning my everyday vegetable soup into something extraordinary and more on the gourmet side. I use Cacique’s Crema Salvadorena to give it a hint of a cheesy crema flavor and just a fraction is needed (as opposed to other cooking creams) to boast a creamy texture. This staying in my guidelines of better for you.
In my opinion every soup needs to be served with something crunchy, whether it be a piece of toast or a crouton or crackers…. but as I said before I am trying to cut back on bread whenever I can. I have found a way to cut out the bread but still give my zucchini soup a well deserved crunch. I made cotija crisps to accompany my soup and use as a dipper or topper. Cacique’s Queso Cotija grated cheese makes it so easy to make these crisps in a matter of minutes… Make this delicious Zucchini Soup with cotija Crisps for your family or friends and watch it disappear in a matter of minutes.
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WHAT YOU NEED
- 3 - large Mexican Green onions (sliced thin-white part only)
- 2 - tablespoons olive oil
- 12 - tablespoons Cacique® Queso Cotija Grated Cheese
- 8 - green zucchini (cut into 1 inch rounds)
- 1 - tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 - teaspoon seasoning salt
- ½ - teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ - teaspoon ground mustard
- 3 - cups vegetable broth
- 4 - bay leafs
- ⅓ - cup Cacique® Crema Salvadorena
HOW TO MAKE IT
- Preheat oven to 400° F. On a cookie sheet lined with a non-stick baking sheet use a 1 ½ inch round cookie cutter and fill the center with 1 ½ tablespoons of Cacique® Queso Cotija grated. Continue until you have made 8 circles of cotija. Place the cotija circles in the oven and bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until crisp. Remove from oven and allow to cool while you make the soup.
- In a medium pot over a medium flame add in olive oil and allow to get hot. Add in sliced mexican green onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add in zucchini slices, and minced garlic. Mix to combine and sauté for an additional 10 minutes. Sprinkle with seasoning salt, black pepper, and ground mustard.
- Pour in vegetable broth and toss bay leafs into the pot. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes.
- Remove zucchini/broth from the flame, and remove the bay leafs from the pot reserving them on the side. Pour the zucchini/broth into a blender and add in Cacique® Crema Salvadorena. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the blended mixture back into the pot, along with the bay leafs and place over a medium flame for 5 additional minutes.
