chilled cucumber & avocado soup
A cold soup on a hot summer's day is exceptionally refreshing, but sometimes not that filling. With the addition of avocado, cashew nuts and coconut milk, this soup is creamy and will keep you full until the next meal! You won't need to serve this with bread. We have added mint and basil, but do substitute with other herbs that you have to hand. This is really quick and easy. If you want to speed up the cooling time add a couple of ice cubes to the ingredients when you blend.
ingredients
makes 2 large bowls
100g cashew nuts
1 large cucumber
1 large avocado
200ml coconut milk
Large handful of fresh mint
Large handful of fresh basil leaves
Sea salt and black pepper
Handful of pumpkin seeds to garnish
method
Start by soaking the cashew nuts in filtered water for about 20 minutes.
Drain the cashew nuts and add all the ingredients (except for the pumpkin seeds) to a high speed blender.
Once smooth place the blender jug in the fridge for 30 minutes to cool the soup.
Serve with a scattering of pumpkin seeds for added zinc.
the health boost tip
Avocado is high in monounsaturated fatty acids, as well as potassium, vitamin E, B vitamins and fibre. In fact one avocado has the potassium content of 2-3 bananas. The oils provided by an avocado include oleic acid and linoleum acid which have been shown to help with cholesterol levels so don't be afraid of the fat in avocados! Cucumber flesh is a good source of vitamin C, A and folic acid. The skin is rich in silica, potassium, magnesium and molybdenum.
