End of Summer Soups

While the calendar may say that fall is almost upon us, the thermometer seems to be insisting otherwise. This is the perfect time of year to take advantage of all of the seasonal summer vegetables and to create delicious (and healthy) cold soups. These soups are beautiful, simple, and perfect when you don’t feel like slaving over a hot stove. Summer Gazpacho: Ingredients: 6 plum tomatoes (or whatever you find in your garden or the farmer’s market), peeled and diced 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1 small red onion, diced 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 cups tomato juice or low sodium V8 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon of olive oil salt and pepper to taste hot sauce to taste (optional) Preparation: Combine remaining ingredients into a blender and blend to desired consistency. Chill for at least two hours (or overnight) before serving. Additionally, you can add a variety of others ingredients to make this recipe your own. For example, try adding fresh basil or cilantro for an extra kick of flavor, or garnish with some diced avocado or a little bit of plain yogurt. Chilled Cucumber Dill Soup: Ingredients: 2 medium cucumbers, seeded and diced 1 cup low fat or nonfat Greek-style plain yogurt ½ cup buttermilk 1 green onion, chopped 2 tablespoons fresh dill 1 tablespoon fresh parsley salt and pepper to taste Preparation: Combine all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Chill for at least two hours before serving. You can garnish with a sprig of dill, or add some additional diced cucumber for texture.

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