Not sure if you've noticed, but we've been doing a lot of eating in my house lately -- and while we always try to keep it relatively artery-friendly, we frequently hit stretches where this is impossible. This past week, for instance, there was the burgers-and-dogs barbecue at a friend's house, there was the baked-good bacchanalia during the ballet recital intermission, there was Andy's business dinner at a downtown restaurant that proved to be a five-course ode to butter and cream. This is usually the time we break out our Detox Soup, made in a blender from all things green, and perfect for a warm summer night when you don't want to turn on the stove.
The kids don't love the soup as much as we do so we present them with a mini serving and provide cucumber slices and mini whole wheat pitas (no spoon) so they think of it more as a dip than as a soup.
Avocado & Cucumber Soup (aka "Detox Soup")
1 cucumber (peeled and cubed)
2 avocados (1 pitted and peeled, 1 cut into chunks)
1 cup buttermilk
juice of 1 lime
1 small jalapeno chili, minced (remove seeds if your kids do not like heat)
5 scallions (white parts only) sliced (or 1/2 small shallot)
2 tablespoons cilantro (plus more for garnish)
salt and pepper
In a blender, combine half the cucumber, the pitted and peeled avocado, buttermilk, lime juice, jalapeno, scallions, cilantro, salt and pepper, and about 3/4 cup of cold water. Puree until smooth, adding more water if necessary until it reaches a creamy, but not gloppy consistency. Stir in remaining avocado and cucumber pieces and chill for as long as you can, try to make it at least 30 minutes. Garnish with cilantro when you serve.