Easy-to-make summer soups with a cool, light touch

chicken soup – ideal flu and cold treatment

Easy-to-make summer soups with a cool, light touch

If you think nourishing soup is just for winter, think again. Summer soups satisfy us in lighter ways and make use of the fresh produce piled high at the farmers market. And on those extra-hot days, some of them require nothing but a knife and a blender to get them to the table.This soup is a looker: beautifully crimson and quite thick, and it can be served hot or cold. The recipe comes from Debbie Amster, a holistic health coach, cooking teacher and healthful-foods caterer based in Olney, Md.

Beet and Tomato Bisque

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion,

diced (1 cup)

1 medium clove garlic,

minced (1 teaspoon)

½ teaspoon salt

1 pound (4 small)

red beets, peeled

1 pound carrots, peeled and

cut crosswise in half

28 ounces canned plum

tomatoes, drained

4½ cups no-salt-added

vegetable or chicken broth

2 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon freshly ground

black pepper

5 tablespoons freshly

squeezed lemon juice

(from 1 or 2 lemons)

2 tablespoons minced

parsley

Sour cream or yogurt,for garnish

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and salt, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion has softened. Add the beets, carrots, tomatoes, broth and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 1 hour.

Use an immersion blender to blend to a coarse puree. Stir in the pepper, lemon juice, parsley and the remaining tablespoon of oil. Serve hot or cold, garnished with sour cream or yogurt. Makes 8 servings.If you choose to make this next soup vegetarian, use a light-colored rather than a darker vegetable broth, or the soup will look muddy; or use water. The soup needs to be refrigerated for at least 3 hours before serving.

Cold Yellow Zucchini Soup

6 thin leeks, chopped

(1 pound; about 5 cups)

2 tablespoons olive oil

or butter

Sea salt

1 pound yellow zucchini

(not summer squash),

sliced (about 3 cups)

1 medium white boiling

potato, coarsely chopped

(about 1½ cups)

No-salt-added vegetable

or chicken broth or water

(about 4 cups; see headnote)

Freshly ground

black pepperChopped dill, for garnish

Soak chopped leeks in cold water briefly to dislodge any grit. Use a strainer to scoop the leeks out of the water; pat them dry.

Heat the oil or butter in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and a pinch of salt; cook until the leeks have softened, about 6 minutes. Add the zucchini and potato, then add enough broth to just cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat, cover and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender, adjusting the heat so that the liquid is barely bubbling at the edges.

Use an immersion blender and blend to a thick puree. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Makes about ?7 servings.

Allow the soup to cool, then transfer to a storage container and refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours. When ready to serve, garnish with sprigs of dill.

Soup recipes with Bill & Sheila

If you require a high quality printout of this article, just click on the printer symbol next to ’Share and enjoy’, and we will do the rest.

Get the best website builder available anywhere –SBI! Click here for more information

Return from soup to Home Page

If you want to increase your site popularity and gain thousands of visitors – check out these sites THEY ARE FREE. Spanishchef more than doubled its ‘New Visitors’ last month simply by signing up to these sites: