Easy dinner recipes: Three chilled soup ideas in 35 minutes or less

Beat the heat tonight with three refreshing chilled soup ideas. Each recipe comes together in 35 minutes or less.

Chilled cucumber soup: Mild yet refreshing, chilled cucumber soup comes together in about 20 minutes, combining cucumbers with tangy yogurt, a little garlic and bright vinegar. Make it first thing in the morning, then chill until ready to serve for dinner. Garnish with slivered radish and julienned basil right before serving.

Tierra Sur’s heirloom melon gazpacho: Chef Todd Aarons was happy to share his recipe for this light, refreshing soup, perfect for this time of the year. He suggests using heirloom melons from the farmers market, such as those from Weiser Family Farms. He particularly likes their Sugar Queen, Butterscotch or Ogen melons. Aarons also suggests using slightly underripe melons, since you don’t want the soup to be too sweet.

Chilled avocado and watercress soup with shrimp: Creamy avocado and fresh, slightly peppery watercress marry perfectly together in this soup topped with shrimp. You can find the recipe below.

CHILLED AVOCADO AND WATERCRESS SOUP WITH SHRIMP

Total time: 35 minutes | Serves 8

Note: Adapted from Jake’s Grill in Portland, Ore. The restaurant serves this soup with crayfish instead of shrimp.

1 bunch watercress
1 bunch cilantro, plus 8 sprigs of cilantro for garnish
3 cups chicken broth (vegetable broth may be substituted)
4 avocados, peeled and seeded
1 cup sour cream
2 cups plain yogurt
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound cooked and shelled medium shrimp

1. In a blender, puree the watercress, cilantro and broth. Set the mixture aside for 10 minutes to steep, then strain, discarding the solids and reserving the liquid.

2. Rinse the blender, and puree the avocados, sour cream, yogurt, cumin, coriander and cayenne until smooth.

3. Pour the puree into a bowl set over an ice bath and whisk in the reserved watercress liquid, 1 cup at a time. Continue to stir until well-chilled. Season with salt. This makes about 6 1/2 cups of soup.

4. Pour the soup into bowls, and divide the shrimp among the bowls. Garnish each with a sprig of cilantro and serve immediately.

Each serving: 311 calories; 18 grams protein; 14 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams fiber; 22 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 127 mg. cholesterol; 6 grams sugar; 623 mg. sodium.

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