Three Recipes For Soups

Summer is coming and so is the hot weather.  No-one likes to cook in the heat of summer.  A really hot meal on a warm day is pretty much as detested.  It may be that a cool, straightforward to prepare summer soup is just what you want. 

Below are three recipes for soups that can be made in your mixer or blender.  If you’ve got the ingredients available, not one of them take more than 10 minutes to make.  They are all delightful, healthful, and truly refreshing on a sunny day.  While the recipes all suggest you employ a Kenwood, you can get superb results by using a blender or hand blender too. 

These are all extremely simple recipes, so don’t be shy to modify them and get a taste that your full family can enjoy. 

Here are the recipes. 

Summer Vegetarian soup
This is great tasting soup with a touch of Italy included.  It is super simple to make and really healthy.  It is particularly good on a hot summer day

An avocado – skin and pit removed naturally
4 Roma tomatoes – they may not be quite mouth-watering enough ( see below )
Basil to sample ( Thai basil is actually good in this )
Four tablespoons of additional virgin olive oil

Process
How straightforward is this soup?  Simply throw everything into your food processor and mix until it is smooth.  If you find that it is more of a smoothie than soup, simply add more liquid ( or swap one of the Roma tomatoes for another more delicious variety ).  Pour into bowls, garnish as you wish ( minced chives are nice ) and enjoy. 

marvelous Salsa & Black Bean

This soup is a very simple soup that takes only a few minutes to prepare.  It can be served hot, but always benefits from being heated. 
approximately four servings

INGREDIENTS :
two ordinary sized cans of black beans ( any brand is OK, but try for low salt )
1 0.5 cups soup stock ( Just use chicken, meat, or plant bullion )
one cup of your favorite salsa ( corpulent makes a heartier soup )
one little spoon cumin ( best to use fresh ground in the soup and you can sprinkle seeds on top too )
0.25 cup of sour cream
1-2 green onions chopped fine

Process :
Put the beans, salsa, cumin, and soup stock into a blender ( a blender is OK too ).  Puree the mix till it is creamy in texture.  Decant the mix into a medium sized pot and heat on low-medium till it is totally hot.  This permits the flavours to combine.  If you are going to serve it cold, move it to the refrigerator to chill off till it is time to eat.  To eat it hot, simply serve into bowls and garnish with the onions and some of the sour cream. 

MANGO SOUP

Mangos are simply divine.  They are great as a fruit, whisked into drinks, added to salads.  They also make a really good cool summer soup which is explained below. 

Ingredients :

1 massive RIPE mango ( it’s going to be soft, no squishy, to touch )
two cups chicken soup stock ( make your own or use bullion if you have to )
1 TBSP lemon grass ( available in most Asian markets, it seems like long greenish reeds when you purchase it )
1 TBSP ginger – Freshly chopped is best
Ground chili peppers to taste
1 cup yogurt ( 2 percent plain is best )
2 TBSP cilantro ( chinese parsley ) chopped fine

Process :
Chop mango and put in mixer.  Mix briefly and then put in the ginger, lemon grass, chili and [*FR1] cup of soup stock.  Mix again till everything becomes awfully smooth.  Move the soup into another bowl ( be sure it is large enough ) and mix in first the rest of the stock, and then the yogurt.  This is best served cold, so put in refrigerator until you are ready to eat.  Then put into bowls and serve with the cilantro as the garnish. 

As the temperature starts to go up give these soups a try.  They’re all simple and will add a new delicious and healthy dimension to your summer diet.

What kind of food do you like making? Visit cooking101.org to get some of the simplest recipes you can use for your next meal. Also check out easy savory lamb stock recipe.