Chilled Cucumber Avocado Soup
Make this vegan by substituting a plant-based yogurt for the yogurt.
Recipe by Catherine Pla
Serves 4
Chilled Cucumber Avocado Soup
2 large ripe Haas avocados
1 seedless, peeled cucumber, rough chopped
1⁄2 a small jalapeno pepper, seeds removed
1⁄2 small sweet onion, rough chopped
3⁄4 c whole milk plain yogurt, plus more for garnish
Juice of 2 limes
1⁄2 t cumin
2 T chopped fresh mint leaves
1⁄4 c cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish
11⁄2 c cold water
Salt and pepper
Halve avocados. Remove pits and cut 3 of the halves into chunks and place in a blender. Reserve the other half avocado for garnish: dice small and sprinkle with some lime juice. Set aside.
Add cucumber, jalapeno, onion, yogurt, clime juice, cumin, mint and cilantro to the blender. Add water, a generous pinch of salt and a couple grindings of black pepper. Blend on low speed first, then increase speed until soup is smooth. Check consistency and if too thick, add more water in 3 tablespoon increments while blending. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt if necessary.
Transfer soup to a sealable container. Place plastic wrap on the surface of the soup to prevent browning and chill at least 1 hour before serving.
To serve, divide soup among bowls, scoop 1 tablespoon of yogurt on top of each bowl and garnish with chopped cilantro and diced reserved avocado.