This recipe really began two days ago, with a hulking zucchini from my mom's garden. Summer gardeners, you know the one — you missed it when it was small, and now it's a club-sized monstrosity, too tough and bitter for the stir-fry? Yeah, that one.

Shred that thang, rob it of its water, and you've got yourself a beautiful soup base, used here with some lovely pink carrots from Mr. Harvest (Isle La Motte), and cashews for an elegant, nutty, late-summer soup.

Also, it's VEGAN (as was last week's recipe!) — the nuts do double duty as a stand-in for the cream you'll usually find in a pureed soup like this. But the vegan-ness is a happy coincidence: This blend doesn't skimp on flavor or richness. It's a round, full-bodied first course or light lunch, perhaps served with crusty bread and butter.



Nutty Carrot Zucchini Water Soup
Serves 6

Ingredients: 

3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 small clove garlic, minced
4 cups carrots, shredded
2 cups water
1 Earl Grey tea bag
1 cup salted cashews
1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
2 1/4 cups zucchini water**
Fresh sage, for garnish

Preparation: 

In a large mixing bowl, steep the teabag in 2 cups boiling water. After a few minutes, add cashews and set aside to soak while you prepare the rest of the soup.

In a large skillet, sauté garlic and carrots in coconut oil over medium heat. Dust with salt and continue to cook 7 or 8 minutes until carrots are al dente. 

Remove teabag from tea and cashew mixture (the tea should be slightly milky from the cashews, which should be softened and a little gummy) and add the carrot sauté and zucchini water to the bowl. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and puree in a food processor or blender until smooth. 

Garnish with fresh sage and serve warm.

**To make enough zucchini water for this recipe, shred a large zucchini (or several small ones, enough for 6 cups). In a large bowl, mix zucchini with 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with salt (1/2 to 1 teaspoon, to taste) and pepper (1/2 teaspoon), and let sit 15 minutes, until the liquid leaches from the zucchini. Place the mixture in a sieve and press to strain liquid. The resulting "water" is lightly sweet with a delicate vegetable flavor and is great as a broth (as above), or in cocktails or dressings. Use the shredded zucchini in quiche or fritters, breads (hold the pepper), salads or pastas.