Cucumber Avocado Gazpacho With a Trio of Fresh Herbs and Greek Yogurt

Where we live is hot, very hot, so cold soups are welcome during the summer. The addition of fresh herbs gives the soup a wonderful flavor. The soup can be made a day in advance and the flavors intensify and it is even better served the next day. You can change out the flavors and herbs and also add a swirl of sriracha or chili garlic sauce on top with fresh herbs. Generally, all of the recipes I use are mine, but this one was so good from Crowded Kitchen, I changed it very little. I use rice vinegar in almost everything. I love the mild flavor. We used Greek yogurt versus sour cream for health benefits. You can certainly use vegan sour cream if your a vegan, and I added picked onions. You can find the recipe for this on our website.

The one thing I urge you not to skimp on is the olive oil. Use a good, first press, unfiltered, dark green oil. Many common, store bought, Italian varieties are cut with less expensive, highly processed oils even though they may say that they are pure. Two of my favorite best commercially produced olive oils that are very pure and taste good are actually from Costco (their organic first press, Kirkland label) and also from Trader Joes. For something extra special, try the Italian Luccini. When using expensive brands, we recommend using them for dipping sauces, bread and soups or any other uncooked items. Use a less expensive oil for sautéing and cooking.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 0

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 whole Hass avocado or ½ of a large Florida avocado

3 cups chopped cucumber, skin on

½ cup chopped onion, soaked in water for 30 seconds

½ cup celery, diced

1 ½ Tbs rice wine vinegar or champagne vinegar

2 Tbs chopped jalapeno, no seeds

2 Tbs fresh cilantro, chopped

2 Tbs fresh parsley

2 Tbs fresh dill, plus more for garnish

1 clove garlic

¼ cup Greek yogurt

1 tsp maple syrup

¼ cup very good olive oil, plus more for topping

1 ½ tsp salt

Garnish:

Fresh Dill

Olive Oil or Greek Yogurt

Pickled Red Onions

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend well until smooth. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

2. Garnish with fresh dill, and a swirl of either Greek yogurt, olive oil or vegan sour cream. Top with pickled red onions. The recipe is on our website if you need a good one.