Curry Coconut Zucchini Soup

Spring is here! The weather is absolutely marvelous and lovely spring/summer vegetables and fruits are starting to show their faces. I cannot tell you how happy I was when I saw the first peach in the supermarket over Pesach and just this week I saw the first cherries for sale. I love this season! Spring is the season for lots of green veggies like artichokes, asparagus, peas etc and though zucchini is more a summer vegetable, this green soup makes me feel super springy. I was planning on doing a traditional chicken soup this Friday night but found such beautiful bright green zucchini (not the pale, flavorless, light green squash that is often sold here) that I had to buy it. A quick perusal through my blog will tell you that coconut and curry are one of my favorite combos and since this soup required only ingredients I had lying around I had to make it. Let me tell you, it's a winner and it is great at room temperature too if you are too hot for warm soup. Off to have another bowl- enjoy!

1 Tablespoon canola or olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon fresh grated ginger or 1 tsp ground ginger
2 Tablespoons curry powder
4 large zucchini, sliced
2 medium potatoes, sliced
7 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp brown sugar or white sugar, optional
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a soup pot and saute the onion, garlic and ginger for two minutes. Add the curry powder and saute a little more until fragrant. Add the zucchini, potatoes and stock, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook until the vegetables are soft. Remove from heat and blend with an immersion blender. Stir in the coconut milk and sugar. Check for seasoning, re-seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.