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.

Papaya Soup Recipe (Canh Du Du)

I love incorporating fruits in savory dishes. Soups are a great way to do it, and today I made a soup similar to Vietnamese pumpkin soup (canh bí), but substituted ripe papaya for the pumpkin. It's called "canh đu đủ" in Vietnamese. I made the soup using chicken stock; you could use fish stock, vegetable broth or any other of your favorite flavorings. The natural sweetness from the papaya balances the flavors of a soup broth very well. At first sight, the beautiful orange color is reminiscent of fall colors due to the presence of carotenes in papaya. The flavor is quite different though. If you're looking for a healthy, flavorful soup, this is it.

In addition to tasting delicious, in Asian culture, old wives' tales say that papaya soup increases lactation for breastfeeding women. True or not, if you've just given birth, this recipe could help.