Cucumber Avocado Summer Soup–Description
Cucumber Avocado Summer Soup is a light and creamy vegetarian summer soup that combines the light and cooling nature of raw vegetables, the specifically cooling nature of cucumber (think: “cool as a cucumber”), with the creaminess of avocado and yogurt.
Just like sliced cucumber, this soup pairs really well with grilled protein foods. Try serving it with some Satay style barbecued Chicken Breast, or, if you are a vegan or vegetarian, with barbecued or broiled Satay style or Curried Tempeh or Tofu.
Because this is a nice cooling raw soup, it goes very well with something that has a little pungent spice.
This soup can also be made vegan using any one of the vegan yogurts or kefirs available now, instead of milk based yogurt or kefir.. My favorite is the Cashew based Kefir.
Besides serving with broiled or barbecued protein foods, Cucumber Avocado Summer Soup makes a light meal with a thick piece of whole grain bread, especially in the hot weather of summer. Here in San Diego all the way into late October, we can get the hottest weather of the year. This is when the Santa Ana winds come in from the eastern desert.
Just yesterday, on October 24, 2017, it was 100 degrees fahrenheit and only 34% humidity. Worse is that the houses in San Diego are not really built for extreme weather, so you can really suffer in the heat. Yesterday cooling food was called for, and I made this soup. I hope you like it!
Ingredients
2 cups chopped cucumber, peeled if non-organic
1 cup bacon or fuerte avocado
1.5 cups plain yoghurt or kefir
2 tbsp fresh green bell pepper
1 tsp finely ground cumin seed
3 tbs fresh cilantro
Salt and Pepper to taste, start with 1 tsp each
Preparation
Place cucumber and cilantro in food processor and grind till fine.
Dry roast cumin seed in a pan or wok on a low flame to bring out flavor. Grind in mortar and pestle or spice grinder.
Add avocado, yogurt, cumin, salt, and pepper to the cucumber and cilantro and blend to a creamy thick soup-like consistency.
Serve slightly cool or room temp.
Ayurvedic Discussion:
Cucumber Avocado Summer Soup is especially suitable for Pitta and Vata, but is quite possible for Kapha. Its nearly Tridoshic (suitable for all three doshas) because it is
- Cooling and Light–Good for Pitta
- Creamy –Good for Vata
- Light–Good for Kapha
This soup will not strongly aggravate any of the doshas, and, key point, everyone needs to pacify Pitta dosha in Summer and in Hot weather, regardless of their primary and secondary dosha. Pitta dominants will have to cool more than the other two doshas, and with their excellent digestive fire/Agni, will tolerate more cooling food.
So if you are healthy and without any significant elevation in Vata and Kapha dosha, then enjoy this soup in hot weather without any concern. But, you can also modify the soup–see, below–to suit your dosha. You can also combine the soup with foods that balance your dosha, and counteract any negative effect of the soup.
Pitta:
This soup cools Pitta’s fire, which is naturally increased in Summer months. Both cucumber and cilantro are very cooling. For Pitta types use a yoghurt that is more sweet than sour, Pavel’s is a good example. Too much sour can aggravate Pitta, but a balanced Pitta will do fine with this since its predominantly cooling, slightly sweet, and light. A hot Pitta type can even drink this chilled in Summer, like Gazpacho.
Vata:
This soup is cooling and light, which can increase Vata, but that should not be a problem in Summer months or hot weather, unless there is strong Vata aggravation.
On the other hand this soup is nice and creamy from the avocado, so that exerts a modifying affect, since “unctuous” or cream foods pacify dry light Vata. That, too, all dairy pacifies Vata, and between the cucumber, dairy, and avocado, this soup has a subtle sweet taste.
Another option for Vata dosha is to switch out the fresh Dill with Cilantro, because Cilantro is very cooling. Using a fresh ground Tellicherry black pepper will also stimulate Agni and balance the cooling element.
Kapha:
Kapha types, who naturally cold and slow moving, even sluggish, could add fresh Jalapeno or Serrano Chile pepper in place of or in addition to the bell pepper. You could also just raise the amount of black pepper.
Adding Chile works really well if you are going to have this soup by itself, or with bread or a cooked grain like Quinoa. Another option is, if you are having it with cooked protein, to choose a flesh food that is is light and hot energied, like fish or chicken. If you are vegetarian, then prepare you vegetarian protein with more spice.
For example, broil tofu or tempeh that has been marinated in curry powder or a spicy barbacue sauce. Or serve with rice and beans in which the beans are spicy.
copyright eyton shalom, october 2017, all rights reserved use with permission