EASY CHILLED SOUPS FOR SUMMER

By Vegan Victoria, Certified Nutrition Consultant

It’s now June and while we usually think of hot steaming soups for winter, there’s a lot of great chilled soups that are a delicious addition to your lunch or dinner during the summer. And they use some of the best fresh produce of the season. Enjoy!

World’s Easiest Gazpacho

Ingredients:

3 medium tomatoes, quartered

2 green onions

1 small garlic clove, minced

2 fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

1 rib celery

1 green pepper, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 medium-sized cucumber, peeled

Directions:

Cut of 1/3 of the cucumber and dice; set aside. Place all the other ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree for 20-30 seconds so it’s mostly blended but still has a few chunks. Add diced cucumber and serve cold.

Servings; 1-2

 Chilled Zucchini-Dill Soup

Ingredients:

1 cup water, plus additional water to thin (about 1/3 cup)

2 medium zucchini, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp mellow white miso

2 small cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste

Dash cayenne

1 avocado

2 Tbsp minced fresh dill (or tsp dried dill)

Directions:

 Place water, zucchini, celery, lemon juice, miso and garlic, salt and cayenne in a blender and process until smooth.

 Add the avocado and dill and blend briefly.

 Add additional water to thin to desired consistency, and blend again.

 You can add a little extra dill, or finely diced zucchini as embellishment.

 Serve chilled or at room temperature.

 Makes 4 servings.

 Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Source: http://www.rawbayarea.com/