Green mood?

I've been in the mood for eating green food. What I had on hand: zucchini, parsley, basil, cilantro, ripe Haas avocados, jalapenos and limes.

So I ended up making two of my favorite dishes.  Zucchini soup with basil, and green egg salad.

Zucchini soup is a lovely dish.  There is a silky quality to the cooked and blended zucchini that's beyond compare, and it requires no cream and very little fat.  It does, however, require a great deal of salt to taste perfect.

Add 4 chopped garlic cloves to 2 T of olive oil in a heavy pan.  Add 4 sliced large zucchini and stir well.  Cover and let stew for about 5 min to soften the zucchini.  Add salt, fresh ground white pepper, and water to cover.  Let simmer for about 30 min. until zucchini get very soft.  Add basil;  I like to cut a bunch in chiffonade: roll leaves up like a cigar, and cut into thin strips.  Add a handful of basil to the pot, reserving some of the strips for decoration. At this point, I like to use an immersion blender to blend the soup to its silky perfection.  Adjust salt to taste and serve.  Overcooking basil results in loss of flavor.
Floating a little bit of lemon-infused olive oil on top, along with some raw strips of basil is both decorative and adds an unexpected note to the soup.  I also like this soup served cold.
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Green egg salad.  Sounds like something frightening - possibly from another planet.  It's one of my favorite mix of flavors and textures.

Ingredients:
2 hard boiled eggs, thinly sliced
1 scallion, sliced
1/2 c chopped cilantro
1 to 2 jalapenos, seeds and veins removed, and chopped thinly.  (I also like serrano peppers for this)
1 Haas avocado, thinly sliced
1 lime, juiced
1 tsp olive oil
salt to taste

Stir all ingredients together.  The avocado will break into smaller pieces, as will the egg.  For a pop of color, add a few sliced grape tomatoes.  I personally prefer it all green, and serve it on open-faced sandwiches.  Makes 2 to 3 servings.

Voila!  Green food.