Cold soups for a hot summer

Fresh Green Pea Soup with Grape Salsa.

When it is hot outside, all one thinks about is ways to cool off with chilled drinks and hydrating fruits. Even though the heat is high, one does not have to give up enjoying their favorite soup! One can still cool off with chilled soup made with simple but tasty ingredients.
Summer cold soups are not made for everyone, they are made for those who are adventurous and have strong taste buds. Below are recipes from taste.com for you to experiment with.

Cold avocado soup
Ingredients
• ½ seedless cucumber
• 1 medium avocado
• 1 shallot
• 2 tbsp. plain yogurt
• 2 tbsp. fresh mint
• 4 tsp. fresh lime juice
• 1½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp. ground cumin
• 1 radish
Directions
• Place the cucumber, avocado, shallot, yogurt, mint, lime juice, salt, pepper, cumin, and 1 cup cold water in a blender, and process until smooth.
• Chill for at least 1 hour. Serve garnished with the radish and mint leaves.

Chilled cucumber soup with prawn and tomato salsa
Ingredients
• 4 Lebanese cucumbers, ends trimmed, coarsely chopped
• 390g (1 1/2 cups) Vaalia low-fat natural yogurt
• 1/2 cup shredded fresh mint
• 2 green shallots, ends trimmed, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
• 60ml (1/4 cup) fresh lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Prawn and tomato salsa
• 6 (about 160g) cooked tiger prawns, peeled, deveined, finely chopped
• 1 small (about 90g) ripe tomato, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely shredded fresh mint
Direction:
• Place cucumber, yogurt, mint, green shallot, lemon rind and lemon juice in the jug of a blender and blend until almost smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer to a large bowl and place in the fridge for 1 hour to chill.
• To make the salsa, combine the prawn, tomato and mint in a bowl.
• Divide the soup among serving bowls and top with salsa to serve.


Fresh green pea soup with grape salsa
Ingredients
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• ¾ c. sweet onion
• ¾ c. fennel
• ¾ c. leeks
• 1½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp. fresh-ground pepper
• 1 can low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
• 1 lb. peas
• ¾ c. red seedless grapes
• ½ tsp. lemon zest
• 6 oz. low-fat plain yogurt
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice

Direction
1. Make the soup: Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the sweet onion, fennel, and leeks and sauté for 2 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper, lower heat to medium low, and cook until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the broth and thyme and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the peas and simmer for 5 more minutes. Transfer the soup in batches to a blender and puree the soup until smooth. Add up to 1/2 cup water to thin. Transfer to a large bowl, cover, and chill.
2. Make the grape salsa: Combine grapes, 1 tablespoon chopped fennel fronds, lemon zest, remaining salt, and pepper in a small bowl. To serve, whisk yogurt, 1/4 cup water, and lemon juice into the chilled soup. If necessary, thin with water to desired consistency. Serve soup cold, garnished with seasoned grapes.

Creamy zucchini & coconut milk soup
Ingredients
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ red jalapeno pepper, seeds and membranes removed (if desired), and minced
• 3 cups (packed) grated zucchini
• 1 tbsp minced fresh mint leaves
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2¾ cups vegetable broth
• cup coconut milk
Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan set over medium-low heat. Add the onion and chili pepper, and sweat (cook without browning) until the onion is soft and translucent, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for additional 2 minutes.
2. Turn the heat to medium, add the grated zucchini and chopped mint leaves, and cook until the zucchini is starting to soften, about 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Remove soup from the heat and let cool for about 10 minutes. Trust me, you do not want to skip this step. That is, unless you enjoy wiping hot soup off your ceiling after your blender lid flies off.
5. Process the soup in a blender, in two batches, until the soup is almost smooth, but with a little bit of texture. Return to the saucepan, stir in coconut milk, reheat, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.
6. This soup can also be served chilled — a nice treat on a hot day.