In summer, we’d rather warm up outside than in front of a hot stove or oven. Summer meals should be fast and easy and utilize the bounty of the season. Cold soups fit the bill. They’re a great way to convert fresh fruits and vegetables into a refreshing meal.
Gazpacho is the heavyweight of cold soups—muscling its way onto most seasonal menus. But it requires a lot of seeding and chopping, and thus, time away from doing the non-seeding and non-chopping summer activities you love. Turn instead to these easy blender soups to wow guests with flavor without sacrificing your time.
The creamy Southwestern Avocado Soup below packs a flavor wallop with very little effort. Shallots—sort of the love child of garlic and onion—give the soup depth while the cayenne adds a kick. The bright Mint Mango Soup is surprisingly rich and is perfect served in smaller portions as an appetizer or dessert.
Both mangos and avocados are classified as fruits and these recipes make one savory and one sweet. When choosing the best of these fruits for your recipes, the process is similar—both will yield to gentle pressure if ripe and should be eaten within a day or two. If you’re planning farther out and purchasing more firm, unripe fruit, avocados take four or five days to ripen at room temperature, while mangos only take two to three days. Look for fat, round mangos, as thin, flat ones tend to be stringy.
Simply plug in the blender to prepare soup from scratch in less then 15 minutes. Then get back outside and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts!
Southwestern Avocado Soup
Serves 6-8 as appetizer
- Olive oil
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- 2 ripe avocados
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/3 cup cilantro
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions:
1. Splash olive oil in small skillet. Add chopped shallot and sauté slowly over low heat until lightly browned, 5-7 minutes. Cool.
2. Add all ingredients including shallot to blender and puree for 1 minute or until green bits of cilantro are fine and evenly distributed.
3. Cool in refrigerator. Enjoy.
Suggested garnishes: chopped shrimp or crab, fresh cilantro, chopped tomatoes, diced cooked bacon, crushed tortilla chips or cubes of ripe mango.
Mango Mint Soup
Serves 6-8 as appetizer
- 3 ripe mangos, cored, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped mint
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon lime zest
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon cayenne sauce (like Frank’s Red Hot)
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Directions:
1. Set aside 1/2 cup of chopped mango.
2. Put rest of chopped mango and all other ingredients into a blender and puree for 1-2 minutes until soup is a smooth blend of ingredients.
3. Stir reserved chopped mango into soup.
4. Cool in refrigerator. Spoon into small bowls, large shot glasses or martini glasses. Enjoy.
Tip: Freeze soup and scoop to serve as a flavorful sorbet.
Suggested garnishes: toasted coconut, mint leaves, candied ginger pieces, chopped strawberries or a sprinkle of cinnamon.
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