Avocado Soup

posted in Soups, Salads, Sides and Sauces, Vegetarian by Kathy Maister
Difficulty:

Cold soups are perfect to serve on hot summer nights. This one requires no cooking at all! Everything just gets put into a blender and mixed together really well, until it is smooth.

I saw this recipe in Gourmet magazine, and thought it would be a perfect startcooking recipe. All you need to make this soup is:

1 English cucumber
1 avocado
2 green onions
1/4 cup of fresh mint
1/2 cup buttermilk or yogurt or sour cream (See Note at bottom of post)
1 1/2 cups of water

Start by chopping 2/3 of the cucumber into chunks, and dice the remaining 1/3 cucumber.

The chunks are going to be put in the blender and the diced cucumber is for the garnish.

The remaining ingredients just need to be chopped up a bit before they get added to the blender.

If you are unsure how to cut avocados check out my blog on Avocados.

Measure 1/2 cup of buttermilk (or yogurt) and 1 1/2 cups of cold water.

Add the water and buttermilk to the blender.

Start by blending everything on a low speed at first, then increase it just a bit. Everything needs to get totally chopped up and then made really smooth. This will take about 2 minutes of blending.

You can chill this soup for up to 3 hours before serving, and then garnish it with the diced cucumbers just before serving.

This soup is a beautiful color and the cucumbers add a wonderful crunch!

* Note:

I discovered one BIG problem with this recipe after I made it. What the heck do I tell a novice cook to do with the leftover buttermilk? In retrospect I should have suggested using yogurt or sour cream instead. Either would work beautifully for this recipe, and there are a lot of things you could do with leftover sour cream/yogurt.

If you are going to use buttermilk, you could always drink the leftovers??? (Has anyone seen “White Christmas”? Isn’t that what they were drinking before singing “Count Your Blessings”?)
Anyhow, I’m asking all my experienced cooks to toss in some EASY suggestions on what to make with leftover buttermilk!

Thanks and I hope you enjoy the soup!
Kathy

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15 comments

Jennifer | posted on Aug 16, 2007

Great soup- gorgeous and delicious!

There are so many things you can do with leftover buttermilk - it's one of my favorite things to cook with. I soak raw chicken tenders it in over night when I cook chicken nuggets for kids! They come out scrumptious.

I also make a low-fat blue cheese dressing with it! I suggest using the low-fat variety- it tastes as good as the full fat.

Kathy Maister | posted on Nov 13, 2007

Thanks Jen!

(BTW-Jennifer is the Skinny Chef and has TONS of fantastic recipes on her site!)

Katie | posted on Mar 13, 2008

You can always use it ther next morning for Buttermilk pancakes! That sounds good right now!

Kathy Maister | posted on Mar 13, 2008

Of course Katie! That's brilliant!

Ori | posted on Apr 10, 2008

Many muffin and bread recipes call for buttermilk

Leslie | posted on Jun 7, 2008

I always use buttermilk when I make mashed potatoes, it adds a great flavor. Or like Jennifer suggested, soak chicken in buttermilk, but instead of tenders, make buttermilk fried chicken.. It's tender and delicious.

Alletron | posted on Jun 12, 2008

Leslie stole the words right out of my mouth. Using buttermilk (with a dollop of sour cream) in mashed potatoes is AWESOME. Also, try boiling a few cut up leeks with the mashed potatoes. That plus the buttermilk - you don't need to add salt or butter!

Better Recipes | posted on Jun 12, 2008

Avocado soup looks amazing and so nutritious. Avocados are great for the skin so try and have at least one per day. I always make sure that when I go out for sushi I orders rolls with avocado in them. I can't wait to try this soup. It looks like such a great soup, especially since it's summer.

BetterRecipes | posted on Jun 12, 2008

wow, i would've never thought to use avocados for soup but it does sound good

Sam | posted on Jun 12, 2008

Good old fashioned Southern buttermilk biscuits. I am never without at least a half gallon of buttermilk in the house.

startcooking team | posted on Jun 12, 2008

To Leslie: That's such a great tip! Buttermilk and mashed potatoes, delicious!

To Better Recipes: Avocados are certainly one of the richiest fruits according to the Food Rating Chart
and their benefits are numerous! Avocados are full of nutrients, healthy fat and have an amazing effect on your heart and your entire cardiovascular system.

To know more about avocado, click here

Cheers!

the startcooking team :)

chantix | posted on Jun 13, 2008

for the longest time i disliked avocados...then one day i tried guacomole and loved it. now i can't get enough of avocados! i'll definitely have to give this a try.

startcooking team | posted on Jun 13, 2008

We hope you enjoy this fresh summer soup!
Cheers!

the startcooking team :)

Chris | posted on Jun 23, 2008

ALL the suggestions given above for using buttermilk are wonderful. I have been using buttermilk, especially for the baked goods/pancakes etc. for decades. It has only been a couple of years that I started to "marinate" chicken and it really is good.

I have to say I have no trouble using up buttermilk within the usual 10 day "shelf life." I know lots of people don't like the taste, which I find unusual if they like yoghurt and sour cream. Try it this way. Make sure it is very cold. Start with a small cold glass and pour in a couple of ounces. Then shake on a small amount of salt. (I like lots but I use less as it is not the best for us.) Do not mix! Drink the b'milk "through the salt.' Buttermilk is a very healthy substitute for milk and other dairy products. It is usually sold in its skim milk version. Always check the date as you do want it to be fresh. If you didn't like it before, you may change your mind!

Kathy Maister | posted on Jun 25, 2008

Thanks Chris! I hear buttermilk makes chicken really tender and juicy. I'm working on a recipe for oven-fried chicken that calls for soaking the chicken first in buttermilk. Stay tuned...

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