Recipe of the Week: Cool Soups

We’re in for some warm days so I’m prompted  to think about the changes in food preferences as the weather changes. A first thought: when the weather is warm - soups should be cool. It’s a great alternative to a salad that also is a warm weather food.

For cool soups - the basic technique is to put the ingredients in a food processor, blend to desired consistency, and then let stand for the flavors to meld. It’s different than a smoothie in the sense that it doesn’t have to be all together smooth. Having some chunks in the soup is perfectly acceptable. I like to add a tablespoon of chia seeds per serving to ‘thicken’ the soup. After the chia seeds stand for about 15 minutes in liquid they form a gel; they are a ‘super food’ that have found a long list of uses in my everyday cooking over the past few months.

My favorite cool soups start with either cucumber or salsa. Or course - cucumber and salsa could be combined to make a soup but let’s start separately.

I like cucumber and citrus so the combinations

• Cucumber - lemon yogurt - orange zest or
• Cucumber - lemon flavoring - orange zest - chia seeds

Are my basics for the food processor. Spices or ingredients can be added depending on what you need to use up and the flavors you like to combine. Added grapes or apples make it sweeter.  The pulp of 1/4 lemon or orange make it more citrusy. Celery or lettuce or parsley gives it more bulk and all the benefits of leafy greens. A bit of vanilla and a packet of stevia can make it into a dessert soup. Mrs. Dash or a drop of hot sauce can make is into a spicy soup.

Starting with salsa - here are some combinations for the food processor to consider:

• Salsa - celery - lettuce - parsley
• Salsa - carrots or sweet potato - celery
• Salsa - V-8 - celery - green onions (this one you may be able to make without the food processer if you like the chunks of celery and green onions
• Salsa - bullion/broth (this could also be a hot or warm soup…but is good cold as well)

Additions to any of these could be sweet peas or broccoli chunks or cut corn from the freezer (partially thawed) or any fresh veggie that can be easily diced. 

So - as the days get warmer - consider cool soups either as a whole meal or as a side dish.