Cold Soups for Summer!

With Summer officially arriving this past Wednesday, it’s time to think about easy and delicious meals that don’t require a lot of heat/cooking! That’s why this week I’m spotlighting Cold Soups featuring vegetable bundle ingredients.

Cold soups are made with fresh fruits and vegetables. You don't cook these soups, making chilled soup perfect for hot summer days. With Ontario’s Summer weather forecast looking extra HOT this year, many of us will be looking for ways to stay cool and out of a hot kitchen and cold soup meets both of those goals!


What Vegetables Are Common in Cold Soups?
Green Onions
Cucumbers or English Cucumbers
Tomatoes and Heirloom Tomatoes
Red Bell Peppers
Onions, including White and Red Onions
Fresh Peas
Fresh Corn

As you will see many of these are in your box this week! So now we just need the hot summer weather to arrive!



Recipes:


Okroshka – Cold Summer Soup
Created by: Lily and Dmitriy

Okroshka is a cold summer soup that can be made with any available crunchy summer veggies, herbs and eggs. All served with powerful pro-biotic broth.

Ingredients:

3 medium potatoes
4 eggs
1 bunch (about 8) radishes
2 scallions
1/4 cup fresh dill
Buttermilk Base:
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 L buttermilk
juice from 2 lemons + more for garnishing
salt and pepper to taste

optional toppings: micro greens, hemps seeds, edible flowers, mint

Directions:
1. Cook potatoes by baking or boiling them. The potatoes are done when they are tender all the way through. You can test this by poking the potato with a fork, paring knife, or skewer. Let the potatoes cool down, then peel and finely chop them.
2. Boil eggs and peel them. Separate the whites from yolks. Set yolks aside on a plate. Chop the whites and add them to the bowl with potatoes.
3. Then dice the cucumbers, radishes, green onion and herbs. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.
4. Prepare the base for Okroshka by combining all the buttermilk base ingredients + egg yolks in the food processor or blender. Put the mixture into the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
5. Divide the chopped vegetables between the serving plates and pour the buttermilk base on top. Garnish with fresh herbs, micro greens, and more lemon juice. If the mixture is too thick add cold filtered water 1:1 to the buttermilk base mixture or to your taste.


Sweet Red Pepper-Beet Soup
Created by: Martha Stewart Test Kitchen

Sweet pepper flavor is infused through this whole chilled summer soup.

Ingredients:
1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, chopped (½ cup)
3 red bell peppers (1 ½ pounds), stems, ribs, and seeds removed, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 red beets (1 pound), trimmed, peeled, and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 cup water
3 ½ cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
4 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
Lemon wedges, for serving


Directions:
1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are translucent and tender, about 4 minutes. Add bell peppers and beets, and stir to coat. Add water and chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Cover partially, and reduce heat. Simmer until beets are tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour.
2. Remove saucepan from heat, and let cool slightly. Stir in lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Working in batches, puree mixture in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl, and refrigerate until chilled, up to overnight.
3. Divide soup evenly among 6 to 8 bowls. Sprinkle each with goat cheese. Season with pepper, and serve with lemon wedges.



Cucumber Gazpacho
Created by: Sandi Gaertner

Easy cucumber cilantro gazpacho

Ingredients:
3 large cucumbers peeled
1 large avocado or two small avocados
¼ onion
3 tablespoons cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup water

Topping: your Favourite Mango Habanero Salsa (store bought or made fresh)

Directions:
1. Put all of the ingredients except the salsa into a Vitamix or blender.
2. Puree until this is thick and smooth.

3. Serve chilled with mango habanero salsa on top.

Mexican Gazpacho Soup Recipe
Created by: Tasting Table

This colorful, tasty cold soup is chockful of healthy ingredients.

Ingredients:
6 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
¼ cup red onion, diced
1 English cucumber, diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeño, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup cilantro, chopped + more for topping
1 lime, zested and juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
4 cups tomato juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, cucumber, bell pepper, jalapeño, garlic, and cilantro.
2. Then add the lime zest and juice, Worcestershire, vinegar, tomato juice, salt, pepper, and Tabasco. Mix well.
3. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.
4. Once the soup is chilled, top with more cilantro if desired and serve.


Cold Zucchini Soup
Created by: Spruce Eats

Pair it with a salad and you've got a delightful chilled soup for a refreshing summer meal.

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 tsp salt, more to taste
4 medium zucchini
3 to 4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup heavy cream, sour cream, or whole milk yogurt, optional
Freshly ground black pepper, optional
Coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Directions:
1. Gather the ingredients.
2. Trim and chop the zucchini, getting rid of the ends. Reserve.
3. Heat a medium pot over medium-high heat and add oil, onions, and salt. Cook onions, stirring occasionally until translucent and tender, for about 5 minutes.
4. Add zucchini and broth to the onions. Set the heat to high to bring to a boil. Reduce the heat immediately after boiling and maintain a steady simmer until zucchini is very tender, for about 15 minutes.
5. Once the zucchini is cooked, turn off the heat. To avoid burns, let the soup cool for at least 20 minutes before blending. Working in batches, if necessary, blend soup on high speed until very smooth.
6. Transfer pureed soup to a large bowl or sealable container. Cover and chill until cold, for at least 1 hour.
7. When ready to serve, stir with cream or yogurt, if using, and add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Decorate with fresh cilantro and enjoy.



Recipes are curated by Lauren