7 refreshing cold soups to enjoy this summer

Ah, summer—from days spent poolside to outdoor cookouts to lazy beach days, it’s all fun and games until the temperature starts to climb. After all, the heat can be a little overbearing. But luckily, summer is also the season for cold soups: delectable dishes that are chock-full of nutrients, chilled beforehand and served cool, or at room temperature. After all, steaming bowls of soup during the hottest months of the year aren’t refreshing for most.

According to Harvard Medical School, soups are healthiest when they’re homemade. Making your own soup also allows you to freeze it and save it for later, making meal prep a breeze. And, if you go the homemade route, you can go the extra mile by keeping your soups salt-free. Canned soups are often loaded with sodium and don’t have a whole lot of nutritional value. After all, decreasing your sodium intake can help lower blood pressure and even improve heart health.

So instead of giving in to the heat or the canned soup aisle, try one of these seven chilled soup recipes that harness all the mouth-watering flavors of summer, like ripe tomatoes from the garden, freshly picked basil and crisp cucumbers.

• 1 medium head cauliflower
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 14-ounce can chicken stock
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Remove the cauliflower’s core and chop it into florets. Heat the olive oil in a pot and sauté the cauliflower, apple, onion, ginger, curry powder and cardamom for about 5 minutes. Then, uncover the pot and add the chicken stock, turning down the heat and simmering for 10 minutes (until the cauliflower is tender). Turn the heat off and add the milk, yogurt and salt.

Puree the soup in batches in a blender until desired consistency or completely smooth. Then, push the soup through a mesh sieve and throw out any leftover solids. Sample the soup and add salt and pepper to taste.

Chill the soup until cold (about two hours) and serve in small bowls or glasses. Garnish with herbs and almonds.

See the full recipe at The View From Great Island.

• 4 red peppers
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 5-6 sage leaves, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 small, red chile pepper, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 1/2 cups hot vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Salt, sugar and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the red peppers on a tray and roast for 45 minutes, turning once or twice until blackened and soft. While the peppers are roasting, heat the oil and add the onion and sage. Sauté them on low heat for 5 to 7 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic, chile pepper and bay leaf and sauté for another minute or so. Add the hot stock and let the soup simmer for 10 minutes. Then, remove the soup from the heat and let it cool.

Take the peppers out of the oven and while still hot, seal them in a plastic bag. After 10 minutes, take them out of the bag, remove the skins, pith and seeds. Then, add them to the soup.

Blend the soup until smooth and creamy and chill in the refrigerator for two hours. Once chilled, season to taste with the red wine vinegar, salt, sugar and black pepper.

See the full recipe at The Tiffin Box.

• 3 cups low-sodium tomato juice
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Grade A dark amber maple syrup
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon coriander
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 medium fennel bulb, cut into quarters
• 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 1 English cucumber, peeled, halved and seeded, roughly chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and seeded, roughly chopped
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 small, red onion, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup basil and/or cilantro, roughly chopped

For the Avocado Cream with Basil:

• 1 medium avocado
• 3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh basil, coarsely chopped

To make the avocado cream, place the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Then, transfer the mixture into a small bowl.

Next, place the tomato juice, lemon juice, maple syrup, olive oil, spices, vegetables and fresh herbs in the blender and process until velvety smooth. Taste and add more salt or maple syrup if needed. To serve, pour the soup into small glasses and garnish with a dollop of avocado cream.

Reprinted with permission from The Longevity Cookbook, by Rebecca Katz. Published in 2013 by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

• 6 ripe yellow tomatoes
• 3 ears of yellow corn, cooked with kernels removed
• 2 yellow peppers, diced
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Pinch of cayenne pepper (or more, to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoons of champagne or white wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

For garnish:

• 3-4 green onions, thinly sliced
• Handful of micro greens, like arugula, chard or kale
• 1 avocado, diced
• Handful of toasted almonds
• Red pepper flakes

Place all of the ingredients into a blender, saving the kernels from one ear of corn for garnish. Blend on high for about 30 seconds until the mixture is smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Then, refrigerate the soup for three hours or overnight to chill and allow the flavors to marry.

When you’re ready to serve, pour the soup into bowls and garnish with any (or all) of the suggested toppings.

See the full recipe at What’s Cooking Good Looking.

• 1 tablespoon of coconut oil or olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• Garlic salt and pepper, to taste
• Handful of dill, chopped

For the dill crema:

• 1 cup cashews, soaked
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Generous handful of dill (about ½ cup), chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup water

Soak the cashews overnight. Drain and then blend them with the ingredients for the dill crema. Add water until you’ve achieved the desired consistency. Then, store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the coconut oil and onion, sautéing until soft for about 10 minutes. Add the turmeric and sauté for a minute. Next, add the carrots and mix well. Then, add the stock and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until the carrots are soft. Season with garlic salt and pepper to taste.

Turn off the heat and let the soup cool. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. Then, let it cool completely and stir in the chopped dill. Serve the soup with a generous dollop of dill crema.

Get the full recipe at Clean Food Dirty City.

• 1 1/2 cups almond milk, cold
• 3 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• Sea salt, to taste
• White pepper, to taste

To serve: olive oil, freshly ground black pepper, croutons, lime, fresh coriander

Add all the ingredients into a blender and pulse until the mixture is completely combined. Taste and season more, if desired.

Serve the cold soup right away with olive oil, croutons, lime juice and black pepper.

See the full recipe at Tales of a Kitchen (talesofakitchen.com)

• 4 large ripe tomatoes
• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 cucumbers, peeled
• 2-3 slice of stale bread
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced
• 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 cups tomato juice
• 1 1/2 cups organic stock (vegetable, chicken or beef)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste

To start, score the skins of the tomatoes and put them in a pot of boiling water for about 15 seconds. Carefully remove the tomatoes from the pot and slide the skins off. Then, cut the tomatoes into quarters, remove the seeds and coarsely chop.

Chop the bell pepper and cucumber. Then, soak two to three slices of bread in the water for a couple of minutes before squeezing out the extra water.

Put the bread and chopped veggies into a blender or food processor along with the minced garlic, basil, rosemary, red wine vinegar and lime juice. If you like more texture in your gazpacho, save some of the vegetables, mince them and add them back into your soup at the end. Otherwise, puree the mixture until smooth. While the machine is running, carefully add 2 cups of tomato juice along with 1 1/2 cups of organic stock and 1/2 cup of olive oil.

Feel free to add salt, pepper and hot sauce as desired, then refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight, to allow the flavors to marry.

As a finishing touch, garnish the gazpacho with a drizzle of your best olive oil or low-fat sour cream to taste.

See the full recipe here.