Creamy Cucumber Soup

A couple of weeks back I was in Prague where I made an amazing discovery. My friends and I found this vegetarian restaurant on some side street in the city centre. Being a meat lover, the food there was just unreal. The flavors from the fresh and diverse ingredients was like nothing I've ever had before. I could order a dish which was made up of loads of things I didn't like by themselves, however when the dish was put together, it was to die for. Out of the 6 days we were there, we spent our last 4 lunches there everyday; the waiters even started recognizing us as regulars. We were devastated when they politely refused to give us their recipe book. Here is a link to their website for those of you who are traveling to Prague, you will not regret going there. Lehka Hlava (Clear Head)

So that little story leads me to this soup. One of the meals we tasted there was a cold cucumber soup. It tasted like a less creamy greek tzatziki. I thought this recipe would send me back to Prague but unfortunately that was not the case. However, I did discover a variant to this cucumber soup that tastes creamy and fresh, a perfect summer soup served hot or cold.

Creamy Cucumber Soup:

Origin: Eating Well
Yield: 4 servings, about 1 cup each
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 small onion, diced

• 1 tbsp of lemon juice

• 4 cups peeled, seeded and thinly sliced cucumbers

• 1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth

• 1/2 tsp of salt

• 1/4 tsp of freshly ground pepper

• Pinch of cayenne pepper

• 1 avocado, diced

• 1/4 cup of chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish

• 1/4 cup of chopped dill

• 1/2 cup of low-fat plain yogurt

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 1 to 4 minutes. Add lemon juice and cook for 1 minute. Add 3 3/4 cups of cucumber slices, broth, salt, pepper and cayenne; bring to simmer. Reduce heat and cook at a gentle simmer until the cucumbers are soft, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Transfer the soup to a blender. Add avocado, parsley and dill; blend on low speed until smooth. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Pour into a serving bowl and stir in yogurt. Chop the remaining 1/4 cup cucumber slices. Serve the soup warm or refrigerate and serve it chilled. Just before serving, garnish with the chopped cucumber and more chopped parsley, if desired.