Sunday, June 27, 2010

Cooling Cucumber Avocado Soup with Mint


Today was one of those days where you go outside for a walk and after just a few minutes you start sweating like mad.  Therefore, I did not want anything even remotely warm for dinner.  Instead I decided that a chilled soup and sandwiches were in order.  For my soup, which was to be the interesting part of the meal, I decided to use two of nature's natural coolers when it comes to summer produce...mint and cucumber!  They have a cooling effect on the body when eaten...which is just what I needed today.  I wanted a creamy soup, so I used an avocado and some soymilk instead of cream or yogurt because they were what I happened to have on hand.  I also threw in a bit of lemon juice and a clove of garlic to keep the flavors bright.  The soup was delicious on it's own, but I thought some mint oil would make a lovely garnish, so I whipped up a batch!  The lovely jade colored soup was just the thing for cooling me down on a hot day, and delicious as well!  There will be plenty of hot summer days to come, so try out this vegan soup and cool yourself off!  It is super simple, yet super satisfying!

Cooling Cucumber Avocado Soup with Mint


2 large cucumbers, peeled and diced
1 large avocado, diced
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
juice of one lemon
1 1/4 cups soymilk
1 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
mint oil for garnish*
fresh mint leaves for garnish

Combine all soup ingredients in the blender, and process until smooth. Place in the fridge to chill until very cold. Ladle soup into bowls, and drizzle about a Tbsp mint oil onto each bowl, garnish with mint and serve!

*Mint oil:
1/2 cup olive oil
4 Tbsp fresh mint leaves

To make the mint oil, Puree the olive oil and the mint leaves in a food processor until smooth. Store in the fridge. Makes 3/4 cup

7 comments:

Chef Dennis Littley said...

what a perfect soup for this time of year.....just what we need to beat the heat.....cool and oh so refreshing!

FrenchPressMemos said...

Oh this looks so perfect for a hot summer day!

Belinda @zomppa said...

Here, it's fine if all you're doing is standing outside and breathing. Anything beyond that and you might faint. This would be perfect.

Linn @ Swedish Home Cooking said...

What a great idea for a perfect summer recipe. I think I'm gonna have to try and make it today even!

dokuzuncubulut said...

Hi,This is very healthy and beautiful recipe.
Congratulations!

Sneige said...

looks soo good!!! tasty and refreshing for the summer, it would go well with a couple of ice cubes?

BusyMOM @ Easy Appetizers said...

Wow! If you don't mind, I want to talk about this post on my foodie blog. Perfect for this time of year, looks delicious and I can't wait to try the refreshing flavor of cucs in my soup! Thanks for a great recipe!