Gazpacho Soup (Chilled Tomato Soup Recipe)

Gazpacho is a refreshing first course I  just had to make before the summer ended. The preparation is very easy. Cucumber, roasted red bell peppers, onions and fresh tomatoes are blended together. I flavored the cold soup with garlic, lemon, tarragon, a bit of agave nectar and extra-virgin olive oil. To provide a touch of saltiness, I topped the soup with oil-cured olives.

I served it chilled with "oeuf à la coque"-style quail eggs ("soft-boiled eggs" in English). Accompany it with lightly toasted noor thin bread from the folks at California Lavash and you'll have a truly fun summer dish!

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Carrot and Red Bell Pepper Soup Recipe

We’ve been experiencing unseasonably cool weather this week. I’ve been making a lot of healthy summer salads for the family, but today I decided to switch it up a bit and prepare a big pot of hot soup.

I used the remaining freshly picked carrots from our garden and roasted red bell peppers as the main flavorings in the soup. To ensure that it remained healthy and well-balanced, I added well-known French beans called flageolet beans. They resemble large, pale green kidney beans and have a very delicate flavor with a starchy texture, which married perfectly with the velvety soup. 

Cucumber Soup Recipe

My husband Lulu gathered so many Marketmore cucumbers from our vegetable box over the weekend that our family's had to work hard to keep up. I made the family's favorite cucumber sandwiches and once we had our fill of those, I made a big bowl of cold cucumber soup. I realized that cucumbers can taste pretty mild, so I added smoked blue cheese and plenty of fresh herbs to ampup the flavor. 

Planting your own vegetables can be so rewarding, plus I've noticed that homegrown cucumbers are so much more fragrant than the one from the market. I could actually smell the soup in the kitchen from my front door!

I still have a few cucumbers left from this batch, so I'll probably make some raita (Indian yogurt sauce) for tomorrow. Do you have any suggestions?  

Cold Cucumber and Arugula Soup Recipe

This weekend we had gorgeous weather. It was our first chance to enjoy the sun and eat outside, so I prepared a wonderful Sunday brunch for the family. The centerpiece of the meal was a chilled soup flavored with arugula and cucumber.

Arugula gives both an attractive color and a wonderful taste to the soup. If you’ve never had it, it tastes like a cross between mustard and hazelnut. I served the refreshing soup with little puff pastry appetizers. Easy, healthy and delicious.

Cold Asparagus Soup with Grilled Watermelon

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I live for asparagus. I’ve grilled it, made risottos, meat dishes and more in the past. I’ve made soups before as well, but given that it’s still summer, I figured a cold asparagus soup would fit the bill.

I chose to cook with baby green asparagus spears because they're ultra tender and the color looks attractive. I kept the tips for a simple side dish of pan-fried fish fillets in butter and capers. The asparagus were grilled with olive oil so they were fragrant, then softened in vegetable broth until tender. I finished the soup by blending the asparagus with a little crème fraîche. The cold summer soup is refreshing, tasty, simple, yet very festive.

For a complete vegetarian presentation, I paired the soup with white balsamic grilled watermelon, which is in season. You could also add quail egg Niçoise salad or crab salad.

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