Why do I want to make soup when it's so hot out?

As mentioned in an earlier post, Bo-Ganics made its first delivery last week. I'll admit, a few things went into the trash, but that was because we had a crazy boil water decree. I cooked the swiss chard today, just like I cook spinach - it was gross. I read that it's only really good when it's fresh. Also, the cabbage is still in the veggie drawer.

Almost everything else has been consumed though, so we're doing pretty well! I had two zucchinis that I was unsure what to do with, other than cook them or turn them into bread... so I found a recipe for Zucchini Bisque on all recipes.com. I made a few modifications, so my recipe is below:

Zucchini Bisque:

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup skim milk

Directions 

In a large saucepan, saute onion in oil. Add zucchini and chicken broth. Simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes; add seasonings. Puree on low in a blender. Return to pan; stir in cream an milk and heat through.

It was so easy to make, and you can do it all in one pot if you have an immersion (hand held) blender. I have a Braun hand-held that I like very much. It's not too creamy, it's nice and flavorful without being overpowering at all. 

After the success of that soup, I decided I'd try a roasted red pepper soup. This was a good move, because I got to use another Bo-Ganic onion! I cheated a little because I didn't roast the red peppers myself, but what the hey! This soup has onion, carrots, potato, garlic, parsley, and the red peppers for veggies. I forgot the parsley in mine, but it still turned out wonderfully. Thanks to Gina for the recipe posted on her blog! 

Oh, and to top off my insanity, I turned on the oven to make some quick drop biscuits from my Cooking Light Cookbook. They were delicious! 

My upcoming self challenge will be to make risotto. This month's Cooking Light Magazine has a bunch of risotto recipes. I think I may use the Zucchini Bisque as thickener for a nice spring risotto. We'll see if that works. Bo-Ganics should be dropping off two more organic zuchs tomorrow! 

As and aside, we got organic, free range chicken eggs with last week's delivery. They were the best eggs I've ever eaten. The taste difference is noticeable. We can't afford organic eggs all the time, but man, it's worth it just to taste what a REAL egg tastes like.