With all the rain we have had here in Northern New Jersey, our cucumbers have gone wild and taken over the garden!
What better way to make use of them than a cold cucumber soup packed with herbs, and made creamy with a dollop of Greek yogurt?
This soup is served cold, completely raw, and is perfect for summer when you do not feel like turning on the stove top.
Are Cucumbers Good for You?
Cucumbers are very nutritious. The high water content of this fruit helps keep you hydrated, and promotes regularity, so can be a good remedy for constipation. They are high in vitamins and minerals like vitamin C and magnesium, and are considered a good source of fiber if you keep the peel on, such as in this creamy cucumber soup recipe.
Eating foods high in water weight and low in digestible calories, such as cucumbers have been shown to promote healthy weight. So, cucumbers can aid in weight loss.
Studies have show cucumbers have high antioxidant activity, making cucumbers an effective food to combat free radicals, helping to protect against oxidative stress, and maintaining healthy blood sugar in people with diabetes.
How Can I Use Cucumbers?
Cucumbers are very easy to add into the diet. We make cucumber salads with a pinch of salt, a little red onion, and a splash of rice vinegar. They can be pickled, added to smoothies, and sliced and added to water. Slice and serve with hummus, or you can add more cucumbers by serving them with this Cucumber Raita, which has English cucumbers grated into a creamy yogurt sauce.
How Do I Make Creamy Cucumber Soup?
This version is cold, the ingredients are raw, using just a blender, so cannot be more simply prepared. Some recipes call for peeling and deseeding the cucumbers, and sometimes salting the cucumbers to remove water. These steps are not only unnecessary, they are a waste of time, waste of edible parts of the cucumbers, and reduce fiber, nutrients, and water content of the cucumber.
The soup tastes best when chilled before serving, but the flavors will be a bit muted, so it is best to taste after chilling to see if seasonings need to be adjusted.
I grew both English and the standard variety of cucumbers this year, so am using a combination of the two, depending upon what is ready to be picked.
Have all of your ingredients ready because this literally takes just a few minutes to blend
Creamy Cucumber Soup Ingredients:
Yields about 4 cups soup
4 cups roughly chopped cucumbers, and variety, skins and seeds intact
Small handful of fresh dill, about ¼ cup loosely packed
Large handful of fresh basil leaves, about 1 cup loosely packed
1 small shallot, peeled and quartered
Generous pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper
Zest and juice of one lemon
½ cup unsweetened Greek yogurt
-Place all ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth
-Allow to chill for one hour to let flavors combine
-Taste and adjust seasonings as needed before serving in bowls
-Optional garnishes to choose from – Drizzle of good olive oil, chopped basil and dill, salt and pepper, cumin seeds, scallions, lemon zest, finely chopped cucumber
Impress your guests by turning this into a soup shooter as a meal starter by pouring into shot glasses and garnishing. You may need to serve shooters with small spoons, depending upon how much the soup has thickened while chilling
If you do not like yogurt, you can swap some sour cream, or make this vegan by using half an avocado instead of yogurt. Avocado will decrease the shelf life of the soup, so you would want to prepare only what you plan to consume within one day, while the yogurt version will be best within three days of preparation.
Cucumbers are not only delicious and refreshing, they have many health benefits, and are easy to add to the diet with this simple Creamy Cucumber Soup recipe.
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