Chilled Cucumber Avocado Soup with Yogurt and Kefir
It is hot here in New York today. Like, super duper, crazy hot. Did I mention I don't have air conditioning at home? So, it's even hotter in my house than outside. All this uncomfortable sweatiness means that there's (1) no way I'm going to cook and (2) no way I want to eat anything that isn't cold. This quick, easy, chilled soup was perfect. I ate it for both lunch and dinner.
This soup is filled with fresh veggies; well, cukes and avocados are technically fruits, but let's not get nit-picky here, mmkay? It's also got protein- and potassium-packed yogurt and kefir, so it's very satisfying and would even be a great post-exercise recovery meal. The grapes are a secret ingredient: they add just a touch of sweetness to counterbalance all the tart ingredients. Trust me, they work in this dish. I used persian cucumbers, but you can substitute a large seedless cuke (or maybe one and a half). I think it's a pretty flexible recipe, so feel free to experiment with measurements.
Ingredients
makes about 3 1/2 cups
- 5-6 persian cucumbers
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 4 scallions
- small handful of grapes
- juice of one lemon
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup plain kefir (can substitute buttermilk)
- 1/2 avocado
- salt and pepper, to taste
Rough chop the onions, and cut the cucumbers and scallions into big chunks; everything's going into the blender, so it doesn't have to be perfectly diced, or anything. (I'm experimenting with some different photo filters, so just bear with me.)
Toss everything in the blender with the lemon juice, yogurt, and kefir. Blend until smooth.
It should be a bit watery at this point, with no chunks. This is when you add the avocado and blend again. It should now be smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with some minced onion and chopped scallion, as I did at lunchtime. Or some big, crunchy croutons (that's what I did for my dinner version).
In case you're wondering—as I did—whether the soup would change a yucky color because of the avocado...it didn't. After a few hours it still looked the same to me. That being said, if you're serving it to guests and you want to ensure that it keeps its nice, pale green color, I'd get all the ingredients (minus the avocado) ready in the blender and then throw in the avocado and blend right before serving.
By the way, this is the color of the soup in natural light, no funky filters. Pretty, right?
No air conditioning? EEK! Well I have to say, this would be a perfect soup for any hot day:-) It sounds delicious, and I love your addition of the grapes for sweetness. Take care, Terra
ReplyDeleteHiii blogwalking, nice post i love your post.
ReplyDeletePlease visit back my blog
About Microsoft Surface Tablet Or Facebook Shower Curtain
The crazy thing is that we were supposed to have central a/c installed yesterday - the company needed some extra part so they had to reschedule. Grrr. At least I had my soup to keep me cool ;-)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds so refreshing Justine! I grew Armenian cucumbers this year and I bet they would taste wonderful in this soup. And I could see why would need some refreshing, no a/c!! yikes! :) Thank you for sharing this recipe!
ReplyDeleteMost of the time, we're A-OK with just the ceiling fans in every room. But in a heat wave - ugh! I don't know Armenian cukes, but I assume they're similar - I bet they'd work great :-)
ReplyDeletewow that's wonderful, I always have too many cucumbers in my plot by July. Great healthy way to use them up xxx Dor (La Différence)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dor!
ReplyDeleteThis recipe looks so delicious and healthy! Love it :-). Certainly something to try.
ReplyDeleteAlso, now that I'm here, I would like to invite you to check out a new recipe sharing website, RecipeNewZ.com (with Z). You submit a photo of your dish, it's published within minutes and links back to your blog. Try it! We already have hundreds of bloggers on board, and it would be a pleasure to see your recipes too :-)
I was so surprised to see the recipe only called for 1/2 avocado! What happens if you add a whole one?
ReplyDeleteFor me, it's a little too thick and I little too guacamole tasting, but feel free to play around with it!
ReplyDeleteLove this idea! Is there a way to make this soup dairy fee?
ReplyDeleteSorry, dairy free
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! I seriously LOVE this soup! Just exactly what I'd like to have today... thanks! xoxoxo
ReplyDeleteThank you, Michele!
ReplyDeleteI've never tried it, but I imagine you could use a plantmilk-based yogurt instead of the greek yogurt/kefir. If you try it using a dairy-free yogurt, will you come back and let us know how it turned out? I'd be curious to hear...
ReplyDelete