Cooking
Last Summer I spent my birthday up in the Napa valley. I stayed at a spa, went wine tasting and ate out, of course. It was sunny and relaxing and just a little bit indulgent. I had a terrific time and especially terrific meals, the highlight of which was a cool creamy soup at chef Douglas Keane's restaurant Market, in St. Helena.
Frankly the soup ingredients sounded like a spa treatment--yogurt, cucumber, avocado, was it a soup or a facial? Inspired to create my own version I gathered a whole bunch of fresh green ingredients and started experimenting. If your cold soup repertoire consists of gazpacho, try this one on for size. It's a great solution for dinner on a hot night, especially since it can be made in minutes and without heating up the kitchen.
So how is my soup different from Keane's? Rather than using red wine vinegar, I used lime juice. I used only yogurt, no buttermilk. I also peeled the cucumbers which means the soup does not need to be strained. I garnished the soup with a little diced cucumber and some dill. But on reflection I remembered Keane's soup had some mint. No bother. I am convinced mint, dill, chives, cilantro or chervil would work.
Note: Though raw and vegetarian, this soup isn't vegan, but it easily could be. I tasted the soup before adding the yogurt and it was very good that way. So if you want to leave it out, by all means do. Either way it makes a very virtuous meal.
Cucumber Avocado Soup
makes 4 servings
Ingredients
4 cups cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into small, about 1-inch chunks (2 - 3 cucumbers)
1 cup avocado, peeled, pitted and mashed up (2 -3 avocados)
2/3 cup plain yogurt (nonfat is fine)
1/3 cup fresh lime juice (2 limes)
pinch sugar
pinch salt
1/4 cup cucumber diced for garnish
fresh herb of choice for garnish (dill, cilantro, mint, etc.)
Instructions
Puree the cucumbers in a blender until completely smooth. Add the avocados, yogurt, lime juice and blend, blend, blend until silky smooth.
Chill thoroughly if not already cold, correct seasonings with salt and sugar. Serve each portion with a garnish of about one tablespoon of diced cucumber and minced herbs or a dollop of yogurt.
Enjoy!
FOOD
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- Minted White Gazpacho
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The heat hasn't dissipated, so the stove stays off...as much as possible. Thursday night, it was a somewhat classier soup and sandwich. A nice crusty bread, drizzled with olive oil, sandwiching slices of Cantal...a French, raw milk, cheese. Toasted...
Cooking
Cucumber Avocado Soup: Recipe
Last Summer I spent my birthday up in the Napa valley. I stayed at a spa, went wine tasting and ate out, of course. It was sunny and relaxing and just a little bit indulgent. I had a terrific time and especially terrific meals, the highlight of which was a cool creamy soup at chef Douglas Keane's restaurant Market, in St. Helena.
Frankly the soup ingredients sounded like a spa treatment--yogurt, cucumber, avocado, was it a soup or a facial? Inspired to create my own version I gathered a whole bunch of fresh green ingredients and started experimenting. If your cold soup repertoire consists of gazpacho, try this one on for size. It's a great solution for dinner on a hot night, especially since it can be made in minutes and without heating up the kitchen.
So how is my soup different from Keane's? Rather than using red wine vinegar, I used lime juice. I used only yogurt, no buttermilk. I also peeled the cucumbers which means the soup does not need to be strained. I garnished the soup with a little diced cucumber and some dill. But on reflection I remembered Keane's soup had some mint. No bother. I am convinced mint, dill, chives, cilantro or chervil would work.
Note: Though raw and vegetarian, this soup isn't vegan, but it easily could be. I tasted the soup before adding the yogurt and it was very good that way. So if you want to leave it out, by all means do. Either way it makes a very virtuous meal.
Cucumber Avocado Soup
makes 4 servings
Ingredients
4 cups cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into small, about 1-inch chunks (2 - 3 cucumbers)
1 cup avocado, peeled, pitted and mashed up (2 -3 avocados)
2/3 cup plain yogurt (nonfat is fine)
1/3 cup fresh lime juice (2 limes)
pinch sugar
pinch salt
1/4 cup cucumber diced for garnish
fresh herb of choice for garnish (dill, cilantro, mint, etc.)
Instructions
Puree the cucumbers in a blender until completely smooth. Add the avocados, yogurt, lime juice and blend, blend, blend until silky smooth.
Chill thoroughly if not already cold, correct seasonings with salt and sugar. Serve each portion with a garnish of about one tablespoon of diced cucumber and minced herbs or a dollop of yogurt.
Enjoy!
FOOD
- Mango Cucumber Salad Recipes
Ok here's a crazy idea, one basic salad that can be either sweet or savory. I was trying to think of what to do with some mangoes coming my way from the National Mango Board this week and then I saw a tweet from @SimpleGourmetLA with the idea for...
- Spinach & Yogurt Soup Recipe
When I was growing up there was a good, inexpensive restaurant my family ate at frequently. They had a very simple menu, mostly fresh fish and burgers, nothing fancy. But every meal started with a salad or their famous Leek and Spinach soup. It was so...
- A Second Helping Of Indian Home Cooking
Tonight I prepared two dishes from Suvir Saran's Indian Home Cooking: Ground Beef with Spinach and Fresh Mint (Hara Keema) and Cucumber Raita (Kheere Ka Raita). I especially enjoyed the Raita and found that it was quite easy to prepare. I used nonfat...
- Minted White Gazpacho
Another recipe from Vegetarian Times; an incredibly easy gazpacho. Their instructions are to put everything in the blender. Our blender is a piece of crap. I use the food processor, instead. White sandwich bread, crusts removed, soaked in water, drained....
- An Almost Heat-less Dinner
The heat hasn't dissipated, so the stove stays off...as much as possible. Thursday night, it was a somewhat classier soup and sandwich. A nice crusty bread, drizzled with olive oil, sandwiching slices of Cantal...a French, raw milk, cheese. Toasted...