My mother makes an avocado soup almost everyday for breakfast as part of her raw food diet. She uses chard or kale and other green vegetables like zucchini along with the avocado. Because she's my mom, and she's trying to get me to eat it, I automatically dismiss the soup as "gross." Yes, I'm still a surly teenager at heart.
Trying to grow up and keep an open mind, I did try mom's green soup. It wasn't bad. Avocado helps all the healthy stuff go down easy with it's rich, buttery flavor. When a recipe for cold cucumber and avocado soup arrived in my inbox from The Splendid Table, I decided to give it a try.
This recipe uses a balance of lemon juice, cucumbers, avocado and jalapenos. I tweaked it a bit because I wanted more of the avocado thickness, but because I used the optional cilantro I ended up with more of a guacamole-like soup. For something a bit more refined, use watercress or arugula instead.
Cucumber and Avocado Soup:
Adapted from a recipe by Anna Thomas' Love Soup: 160 All-New Vegetarian Recipes from the Author of The Vegetarian Epicure, excerpted by The Splendid Table.
2 lbs. cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup cilantro leaves (or 6 oz. watercress or arugula)
2 cloves garlic, peeled & roughly chopped
1 small jalapeno, seeds and pith removed or to taste
2 avocados, peeled and cubed
salt & pepper to taste
1 tomato, diced
olive oil
Put half of the cucumbers and half of the citrus juices into a blender and puree to a liquid. Add the rest of the cucumbers, the cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, avocado, salt and pepper and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and add more salt and pepper, lemon or lime juice as needed. Chill the soup and serve with the diced tomatoes and a drizzle of olive oil over the top.
