Hot soups are usually thought of as cool weather cooking. But this soup is so fresh and light-tasting that you'll want to serve it even as the first course for an outdoor summer barbecue.
Of course, it's low in fat. The lightness comes from the vegetable broth used for the soup base, combined with chicken bouillon cubes for richness. Canned cream-style corn is stirred in along with cornstarch for thickening. If possible, use only very fresh shrimp rather then frozen. The flavor of the fresh is far superior to that of frozen.
A wonderfully flavorful cilantro pistou is spooned atop the soup just before serving. Oil is not used in this low-fat pistou --only fresh cilantro, garlic and Parmesan, with lemon juice for the liquid. If you are really watching the fat, sprinkle the soup with chopped cilantro instead of the pistou and you will save three grams of fat.
SHRIMP AND CORN SOUP WITH CILANTRO PISTOU 1 teaspoon butter 2 tablespoons minced onion 2 (14-1/2 ounce) cans vegetable broth 2 chicken bouillon cubes, crushed 2 (8 3/4-ounce) cans cream-style corn 2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water 1 ear corn, roasted, cut into 1-inch chunks 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined Cilantro Pistou
