Chayote Soup

My husband does the grocery shopping for us every week. Last weekend he brought me a vegetable that I had never seen before. It turned out to be a chayote, which is native to Mexico and Central America and is actually a fruit. It is now grown all over the world and is a cross between a summer squash, cucumber, and jicama. I looked up several types of preparations, and found that it is often used in soups or salads. As I am all about warm soup as comfort food, I decided to make a vegetable soup with brown rice. After searching the internet, I narrowed in on two recipes that looked good: one was a Chayote Soup Recipe from Yummly and the other a Vegan Caribbean Stew from Allrecipes. These served as inspiration along with my own ideas and what I had in my kitchen that day.

The resulting dish was savory, filling, and intriguing (in a very good way) as it tasted slightly exotic (to me). It was really good leftover for lunch the next day as the flavors had continued to combine. This soup is definitely a new favorite and I can't wait to make it again.

Chayote Soup

Ingredients:

Chayote

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup brown rice
1 cup chopped onion (1/2 medium sized onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup diced tomato*
1 cup diced zucchini
1 chayote, peeled and diced
4 cups water
1/4 tsp minced fresh ginger
1/4 tsp dried dill weed
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro


Directions:

Heat the oil in a soup pot and add the brown rice. Toast the brown rice, until it begins to turn opaque. Add the onion and garlic and cook for a few more minutes, stirring often to let the onions soften. Add the tomato, zucchini, and the chayote and let it cook for 5 minutes. Then add the water, ginger, dill and cumin. Next, let it simmer over low heat for 35-45 minutes. Check to see when the rice is done and add more water as necessary. Finally, add the pepper, salt, and cilantro and let it cook for 5 more minutes for the flavors to blend.

*I used fresh grape tomatoes in this soup. When tomatoes are cooked, the peel will separate from the flesh. If you don't want tomato peel in your soup, then blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for 1 minute. Let them cool and the peels will come right off. You could also use a 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes to make it easier.

For 4 servings. Nutritional information from caloriecount.about.com

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 418 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 133 Calories from Fat 19

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 2.1g 3%

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 597mg 25%

Potassium 367mg 10%

Total Carbohydrates 26.5g 9%

Dietary Fiber 3.2g 13%

Sugars 3.8g

Protein 3.4g

Vitamin A 9% • Vitamin C 29% Calcium 5% • Iron 6%

Nutrition Grade A

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet