This cold, smooth summer soup is brought to life with a bright, crunchy salsa. While the soup can also be served at room temperature, if you’re in a hurry to chill, ladle into 4 serving bowls and place them all in the freezer for 20 minutes for a quick fix. Yield: 4 servings (1 cup soup + ½ cup salsa)
Nutrition Facts
Chilled Zucchini and Avocado Soup with Cucumber Salsa
Calories
Protein
Fiber
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 164 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fat | 8.4 g | |
| Saturated Fat | 1.4 g | |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 1.1 g | |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 5.0 g | |
| Cholesterol | 1.2 mg | |
| Sodium | 137 mg | |
| Total Carbohydrate | 21 g | |
| Dietary Fiber | 6.9 g | |
| Sugars | 10.4 g | |
| Added Sugars | 0 g | |
| Protein | 5.8 g | |
Dietary Exchanges
4 vegetable, 1 1/2 fat
Ingredients
Servings 4
For the Salsa:
-
1 peeled and finely diced medium cucumber (about 2 cups finely diced) -
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and diced (about 1 cup diced) -
3 tablespoons lime juice (from about 1 to 2 limes) -
1/2 cup chopped cilantro -
2 tablespoon chopped red onion -
1 to 2 tablespoon chopped jalapeño
For the Soup:
-
1 medium yellow onion (peeled, chopped) -
3 medium zucchini (around 4 to 5 cups chopped) -
2 small cloves garlic, peeled and smashed -
1 avocado, halved and pitted -
1/2 cup 1% buttermilk -
1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth -
2 tablespoons lime juice (from 1 juice) -
1/8 teaspoon salt -
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Directions
Tip: Click on step to mark as complete.
For the Salsa:
-
Peel and finely dice the English cucumber. Use a spoon to remove seeds from the tomatoes and discard them. Dice the tomatoes, adding them into a medium bowl with chopped cucumber and lime juice. -
Chop the cilantro, red onion, and jalapeno; stir ingredients into the bowl. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve with the soup.
For the Soup:
-
Peel and roughly chop the onion; trim the ends off each zucchini and roughly chop too. Peel and smash each garlic clove. -
Coat a large nonstick sauteed pan with cooking spray and warm over medium high heat. Add onion, stirring occasionally, and sauteed; until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chopped zucchini and garlic. Stirring constantly, cook until zucchini is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. -
Transfer zucchini mixture into a blender or food processor. Pureed mixture about 30 seconds until mostly pureed. -
Halve and pit the avocado, scooping the avocado flesh into the blender. Add buttermilk, broth, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Pureed again until soup is smooth. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until cool. -
To serve, ladle soup into 4 bowls. Top each bowl with the salsa, dividing it evenly.
Cooking Tip: When cooking the onions and zucchini, lower the heat to medium and cook longer to caramelize them. While not necessary, it adds a certain sweetness to the soup if time allows.
Keep it Healthy: Low-fat buttermilk is a good ingredient to have on hand, adding tang and richness without fat to a variety of dishes, from smoothies to soups to baked goods.
Tip: Not a fan of cilantro? Just add chopped parsley into the salsa instead.
Cooking in Color
This digest-size recipe booklet includes 27 healthful recipes, all including fruits, vegetables, or both. Each recipe is accompanied by a vibrant photograph, and the recipes are organized by color. Also included is a fruit/veggie storage guide and a fruit/veggie equivalency guide.
Copyright © 2018 American Heart Association, Healthy for Good™. Every purchase helps fund the work of the AHA/ASA.
