I love eating cold soups in the summer – they are so refreshing, light, and all you need is a blender. This one combines creamy avocado, cucumber, and yogurt as a base for an ultra hydrating, luscious soup. Enjoy it as a side or serve it up with buttered bread and top it with lots of seeds and crispy chickpeas for a light meal.
Ingredient highlight
Avocado! I eat a lot of avocado – on toast, in bowls, with chips, and straight out of the skin sprinkled with salt. This super versatile fruit is high in monounsaturated fatty acids (oleic and linoleic acid), which may help lower cholesterol and reduce inflammation. They are also high in potassium, vitamin E, B vitamins, and fiber. One half of an avocado has up to 7 grams of fiber and 1 whole avocado has about double the amount of potassium in one banana.
PRO tip: the most nutrient-rich part of an avocado is the really green part close to the skin, so make sure you scrape them clean!
Servings 2 People
Prep Time 10 minutes Ingredients
- 1 cucumber, peeled, quartered
- 1 avocado, pitted
- ½-1 cup loosely packed cilantro
- ½ cup plain whole milk yogurt
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 – 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ – 1 cup water
- Toppings: chopped cucumber, toasted pumpkin seeds, olive oil, black pepper*
- *I used leftover chili pumpkin seeds from the Watermelon Cucumber Salad from week 31!
Instructions
- In a high-speed blender, add the cucumber, avocado flesh, cilantro, yogurt, lime, olive oil, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and cumin. Blend on high until totally smooth.
- The thickness of your smoothie will depend on the size of both your cucumber and avocado. The soup should be “soup” consistency, not gloppy. Start by adding ½ cup of water, blend, and continue to add more water until it reaches your desired consistency.
- IMPORTANT! Taste and add more salt or lime, if needed. Depending on how much water you added, you will likely need to add more salt. When I made this, I used 1 cup water and a total of 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Use your taste buds!
- Serve chilled and topped with chopped cucumber, toasted seeds, a drizzle of olive oil and black pepper, if desired.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Make the soup
- Toast pumpkin seeds for topping (optional)
Substitutions:
- To make vegan, skip the yogurt and add a bit more avocado and lime juice.
- Substitute cilantro with any tender herb (basil, parsley, mint)
Storage:
- Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Enjoy this soup chilled straight out of the fridge.
- Top it with anything crunchy (toasted seeds, crispy chickpeas, chopped raw veggies like cucumber, carrot, bell pepper, tomatoes, etc…)
- Serve it with a piece of toast and butter for a light lunch.
