Chilled Cucumber Soup
It seems as though summer is not quite over. When I was in New York this week (doing BOOK things!), it was hot as the dickens. In fact, it felt like a bit of a steam bath, unfortunately. The Silver Lining is that today I get to share Chef Maili’s chilled Cucumber Soup that is really yummy and outrageously easy.
There are lots of health benefits of Cucumbers. It was so fun to learn these because I had never really thought about them before. Speaking of which, someone asked me recently, “Do you eat differently after having had cancer?” The answer is No, I don’t really eat differently (because I ate very healthily before the diagnosis), BUT I do pay a lot more attention to getting all of the nutrients that I need and knowing so much more about food.
Anyhoo, here are some Silver Linings about eating cucumbers:
- Great source of vitamins, including: vitamin A, B1, B6, C & D, Folate, Calcium, Magnesium, and Potassium.
- Helpful for hydration – because they are 95% water.
- Anti-cancer food. Cucumbers contain lariciresinol, pinoresinol, and secoisolariciresinol. These three lignans have a strong history of research in connection with reduced risk of several cancer types, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine cancer and prostate cancer.
- Help with a hangover (not that I know know anything about that – wink-wink): To avoid a morning hangover or headache; I’ve heard that it’s great to eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish many essential nutrients, reducing the intensity of both hangover and headache. Now, I haven’t had to try it, but you never know…
Couple of points: it is best to eat cucumbers with the skin ON to maximize vitamin consumption AND they have a tendency to be pesticide targets, so buy organically whenever you can.
I happen to love cucumbers in my water…and add a little mint. My oh my. Yummy.
I digress..onto the recipe. Enjoy!!!
Cucumber Soup by Chef Maili Brocke
Ingredients
- 4 English cucumbers, 2 for the cups to be hollowed out with melon baller and 2 for the soup. FYI…English cucumbers are wrapped in plastic and have edible unwaxed skin.
- 1 serano pepper, seeded and deveined (which basically means cleaning it out)
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 lemon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions (SO EASY!):
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Cut two cucumbers into 2 inch high pieces and hollow them out for the soup. If you want to serve the soup in a demitasse cup or bowl you can eliminate this step.
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Place two English cucumbers, chopped roughly into pieces in the vitamix blender with the remaining ingredients.
- Feel free to put a pretty little garnish on top…e.g., cilantro, thyme, dill, etc.
For more delicious recipes from Chef Maili, check out her blog: http://themailifiles.blogspot.com
Thank you-Thank you to Blue Caleel for taking these photos!