Soups… for summer!
Soup is not just for winter!
The last thing people think of when it’s boiling hot outside is soup! We have this notion that soup is a warm, nourishing hug. So true! But it’s even more. Soup can also be that deliciously chilled, tastebud-thrilling tonic we need in midsummer. It’s like that quick dive into the swimming pool — bracing, flavor-packed, nutrition-full.
The best part? Like any soup, summer soups can be made in advance using your blender and popped in the refrigerator to chill and forget about. Whether you want a delightful dish as an appetizer, for a party, family lunch, or picnic, to tote around in your cooler mug, or for a light lunch or snack — these soups are high impact, delivering a ton of flavor and nutritional bang for the buck. Chilled soups are hydrating, in such an easy way, down to the cellular level, with very little effort. They’re a cinch to make!
Some pleasing, nourishing, summer meal options with incredible nutritional boost
Some folks like shots of tequila. Well, my choice of a shot is much, much healthier. Take this Mediterranean gazpacho. It makes a hit of V-8 look like amateur hour. This one’s a vegetable orgy! Cucumbers, red bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, red onions, fennel, garlic. No need to chop till you drop! Just toss everything—veggies, spices, herbs, oil—straight into the blender, add a little olive oil and shazam! It’s party time. I took this to an Independence Day dinner and poured out the cheer into shot glasses topped with a little avocado cream. You know you’re doing something right when everyone corners you for the recipe. This is a keeper :)
Talk about fresh summer zing on a steamy hot day! Watermelon is so refreshing and hydrating (not to mention it’s full of the outstanding antioxidant lycopene) that it’s the perfect summertime soup. I know at first glance that adding olive oil and jalapeños to the mix might seem strange, but you have to trust me on this: the oil makes the soup more satiating, while the jalapeño kick blends deliciously with the sweet of the watermelon. Such a gorgeous and surprising delight!
If this immediately brings to mind Greek tzatziki sauce, well, that’s what it was designed to do! I love tzatziki—it’s so cool and refreshing—and I figured if it was good enough for a sauce, it would work great as a chilled soup. And so it does. Normally with tzatziki you have to grate those hydrating cucumbers. With this recipe, everything goes in the blender—and boom!—you have soup. The only thing you have to do is put it in the fridge to cool. It’s absolutely luscious on a hot day.
HAVE I CONVINCED YOU TO TRY SOUP FOR SUMMER? NOURISH, HYDRATE FEEL GREAT — WITH EASE! AND SOUPS ARE SO SHAREABLE. TAKE A FRIEND A MASON JAR FULL OF SOUP AND THEY WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER :)