At this time of year, it is hard to bake or cook a nice hot meal in your home. Especially if you are like me and have zero air conditioning. Even if your home is air conditioned our bodies will thank us for a small, light, and cool meal for lunch or dinner rather than something heavy and piping hot like the summer air can feel. To anyone who does not know, I am getting married at the end of the month:) Matt, my fiance, regardless of the heat... is a baking fool! He loves to cook. He especially loves to use the oven at the highest degrees no matter what the temperature is that day or night. I am lucky enough to eat all of his delicious baking experiments, (and they are incredible!) but his drive to keep on baking through the heat has left our home feeling way too HOT which inspired this blog for the month of August. It inspired me to share some cool and light recipes for us to enjoy with out the sweat. I found these lovely recipes on www.healthy-eating-made-easy.com/healthy-soup-recipes.html. There are a lot more wonderful recipes to try as well. These were a couple of my favorites. YUM YUM!
CREAMY CUCUMBER SOUP
Servings: 4 servings, about 1 cup each
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 cups peeled, seeded and thinly sliced cucumbers, divided
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth , or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 avocado, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
Directions
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 1 to 4 minutes. Add lemon juice and cook for 1 minute. Add 3 3/4 cups cucumber slices, broth, salt, pepper and cayenne; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook at a gentle simmer until the cucumbers are soft, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Transfer the soup to a blender. Add avocado and parsley; blend on low speed until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Pour into a serving bowl and stir in yogurt. Chop the remaining 1/4 cup cucumber slices. Serve the soup warm or refrigerate and serve it chilled. Just before serving, garnish with the chopped cucumber and more chopped parsley, if desired.
Tip:
MAKE AHEAD TIP: Refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 173, Total Fat 12 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Monounsaturated Fat 8 g, Cholesterol 2 mg, Sodium 494 mg, Carbohydrate 15 g, Fiber 5 g, Protein 4 g, Potassium 544 mg. Daily Values: Vitamin C 30%. Exchanges: Vegetable 1, Fat 2.
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet
Tip: Tomatillos are tart, plum-size green fruits that look like small, husk-covered green tomatoes. Find them in the produce section near the tomatoes. Remove outer husks and rinse well before using.