Chilled Lemon Cucumber And Yogurt Soup

Total Time: 10 mins Preparation Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 6 -8 medium lemon cucumbers, peeled and coarsely chopped (or 3 standard cucumbers)
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat plain yogurt
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives, and 3 tablespoons fresh dill (not dried, not dried)
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes or 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 cup water or 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tablespoons walnuts, toasted and chopped (can substitute hazelnuts or almonds)
• fresh lemon juice, to lightly drizzle on each serving soup
• cayenne
• ice cube

Recipe

• 1 in food processor or blender, puree half of the cucumber, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. blend until smooth, about 20 seconds.
• 2 in a serving bowl, combine the pureed cucumber, yogurt, buttermilk, olive oil, garlic, fresh chives and dill, and pepper flakes. stir to mix well.
• 3 cut the remaining cucumber into 1/8 inch small dice. stir into the pureed soup mixture and then stir in enough water or stock so that the soup is thin but not watery.
• 4 add the salt and pepper and stir well. refrigerate several hours and until well chilled.
• 5 ladle soup into individual bowls and garnish with toasted nuts, a drizzle of lemon juice and a sprinkle of cayenne. add an ice cube to each bowl to keep soup chilled.