Cold Soup

The dog days of summer are upon us again. When the weather is sultry, I like to have lots of salads and cold soups. Although cold soups are popular in France, Spain and many other parts of Europe, some people seem culturally enured to think of soup as a steaming hot dish to be enjoyed in the winter. They do not know what they are missing! There is nothing more refreshing and delicious in hot weather than a chilled soup.

I fell in love with cold soup the first time I tasted Vichyssoise. Vichyssoise is a cold potato and leek soup laced with lots of cream. I do not make Vichyssoise anymore because I do not serve white potatoes very often. (My husband is a diabetic.) Of course, cream is too high in fat. I have been experimenting with low fat combinations. In my experience, a low fat diet in itself helps me keep cool which is very fortunate since that is what we have to eat!

I like to serve cold soups in icy glass bowls with an appropriate garnish. If you are serving a cold fruit soup for dessert, try putting it in martini glasses for a pretty presentation.

Chilled Tomato-Basil Soup

2 gloves garlic, cut in small pieces
10 fresh basil leaves
14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 large, ripe tomatoes
1 cup reduced sodium beef stock
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon measures-like-sugar sweetener
3 tablespoons olive oil
Several grinds of black pepper
Fat-free sour cream for garnish
Extra basil leaves for garnish

Put the garlic cloves and basil leaves in the food processor and finely chop. Add the diced tomatoes and puree. Cut one of the fresh tomatoes into chunks and add to the food processor. Pulse a few times to chop.

Add 3/4 of a cup of the beef stock to a sauce pan. Add the tomato mixture. Mix the cornstarch with the remaining 1/4 cup of beef stock and whisk into the soup. Cook and stir over medium heat until it comes to a simmer and is thickened.

Stir in the lemon juice, sweetener, olive oil and black pepper; cover and chill for 4 to 8 hours.
To serve, chop the remaining tomato. Serve the soup in chilled bowls and garnish with chopped tomato, a dollop of sour cream and small basil leaves.

Cold Zucchini Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 zucchini, pared and thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 bay leaf
2 cups low-fat, low sodium chicken stock
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water
White pepper
1 cup fat-free sour cream
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Extra fat-free sour cream
Mint leaves

Spray a heavy pan with cooking spray. Add the zucchini and onion and saute gently over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add the herbs and chicken stock. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and gently stir into the soup. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Cool slightly.

Puree the soup in small patches in a blender. Put into a refrigerator container and stir in the pepper, the sour cream and lemon juice. Chill for 4 to 8 hours.

Serve in chilled bowls and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and mint leaves.

Chilled Avocado-Cucumber Soup

1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped bell pepper
1 teaspoon coriander
2 ripe avocados
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup fat-free or reduced-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh mint, minced
white pepper, to taste
1/2 cucumber, peeled and chopped
Additional sour cream and mint for garnish

Put the chicken stock in a sauce pan. Add the onion, bell pepper and coriander. Bring to a boil and turn off the heat. Cut the avocados in half and remove the pit. With a small spoon, scoop out the meat and add to the stock.

Puree the soup in a blender. Put the soup in a refrigerator container. Whisk in the lemon juice, sour cream and mint. Stir in the cucumber. Chill for 4 to 8 hours.

Serve in chilled bowls. Garnish with an additional dollop of sour cream and mint leaves, if desired.

Plum Soup

I usually make this soup with peaches; however, the peaches I bought refused to ripen when I wanted them. We have a tree heavy with plums so went outside and picked some. The resulting soup is a bit more tart than the peach version–sort of sweet and sour and very refreshing.

2 pounds ripe red plums
1 1/2 cups apple juice
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 cup measures-like-sugar sweetener
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup plain, non-fat yogurt
Fresh mint sprigs
Extra plum slices

Cut the plums in half and cut the meat off the pits. Put the plums along with the apple juice, lime juice, sweetener, cinnamon and ginger into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool.

Puree the plum mixture in a blender. Stir in the yogurt and pulse 2 or 3 times or until blended. Put the soup in a refrigerator container and chill for 4 to 8 hours. Serve in chilled bowls garnished with extra plum slices and mint leaves.