Chilled Cucumber & Avocado Soup

Happy Weekend! Another week down, another week closer to living in California! For those of you who are new to Ice Cream & Wine, my husband (Evan) and I are moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in September. Evan will be starting a graduate program out there, and I'll [hopefully] be a working woman some time soon!

Anyway, do I have a great summer recipe for you! This Chilled Cucumber & Avocado Soup is really the epitome of summer - light, crisp, refreshing. I served it alongside roasted asparagus and wild rice. The original recipe is found below, but of course I had to make some changes. First, I don't have white pepper on-hand, so I just used ground black pepper. I also used plain Greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt - hello, extra protein! Finally, I left the cucumber skin on to get extra fiber and nutrients. 

I know this may seem like a lot of changes, but the point of Ice Cream & Wine is to enjoy simple meals that don't require a lot of fuss. By using ingredients I had on-hand (such as the black pepper & Greek yogurt), I saved money and was able to tailor this recipe to how I wanted. 

Chilled Cucumber, Avocado & Yogurt Soup
Source: Sunset Magazine, June 2010


Ingredients:
4  cups  plain low-fat yogurt
2 cups cold water
2  tablespoons  minced garlic
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1/4  teaspoon  ground white pepper
1/4  teaspoon  ground cumin
1  English cucumber, peeled and chopped
1  avocado, cut into 1/2-in. dice
1/4  cup  chopped fresh mint
1/4  cup  chopped fresh dill
4  teaspoons  extra-virgin olive oil - I omitted this

Directions:

Whisk together yogurt, garlic, salt, spices, and 2 cups cold water in a large bowl. Add cucumber, avocado, mint, and dill, stirring gently to combine. Drizzle each serving with 1 tsp. oil.