With summer nearing, it is time to plan some dishes that will be cool and refreshing without spending a lot of time in the kitchen. It’s also the time of year when we hope to have a lovely supply of freshly grown vegetables right from our own gardens.
One of the easiest vegetables I’ve grown in past years is a cucumber plant. I love to make marinated cucumbers, with or without tomatoes and onions. Of course they are wonderful in a summer salad—with fruit even.
Chilled Soup for Summer
Another favorite of mine is gazpacho. Cucumber in that chilled tomato base is perfect for hot summer days.
That is why I wanted to try another soup this year using cucumbers. After looking through a bunch of recipes, I put together my own recipe. It’s a super healthy soup that includes the cucumbers and Greek yogurt. The only cukes I could find were the regular ones, but english or persian cucumbers are suggested too.
It’s one of the easiest soups to make too. Toss most of the ingredients into a blender like my favorite Ninja Master Prep Professional.
The cilantro is optional, as are the green onions. I love the taste of both, so included some. I stirred some onion in before serving for this batch. It goes so well with the tangy taste of cucumbers.
This recipe is almost better made early. That way it can chill for several hours. It isn’t essential, but it tastes so good that way.
Tabasco is purely a personal taste. I used a few drops, just enough to give it a little bite. Either way, it’s a yummy chilled cucumber delight. It will be a hit in the summer heat.
Rating
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 servings
- 3 large cucumbers, partially peeled
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 to 2 tablespoons cilantro (optional)
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dill
- 2 green onions, sliced (optional)
- Salt
- Pepper
- tabasco sauce
- Partially peel the 3 cucumbers. I like to leave about half the skin on.
- Cut into blender sized pieces and put in the blender.
- Add all the other ingredients except the green onion and the tabasco sauce.
- Blend until smooth.
- Stir in green onion, or if you prefer, use it just for garnish.
- Chill until serving.
- Serve with tabasco sauce for those who like it.
The Ninja Master Prep
Here is the Ninja that I absolutely love. It purees this soup in less than a minute. I’m still surprised every time I try something new with the Ninja. Every single time it works not only well, but extremely fast. Yesterday I used it to make “un-refried beans” that I’d cooked in the crock pot. It mashed and blended them in about 20 seconds.
If you are in the market for a new blender, consider this one. The combination of the motor on top and the double blades make it a fantastic, effective blender. You can see my review here, along with a bunch of pictures of things I’ve tried in it.
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