Chilled Avocado Soup

In addition to book writing I have a couple of other projects that help pay the bills and keep food on the table while I slave away at the computer. One of my jobs is personal assistant to an elegant woman who is perfectly proper. One day she served me chilled cucumber soup with a few sprigs of chives carefully tied in a little knot and placed on top of my pastel soup. I had never had chilled cucumber soup, but I liked it quite a lot. We ate it outside, in the sun, with matching china and silver. I felt as if I was a little girl at a very grown up tea party.

That meal is what inspired me to make chilled avocado soup.

This recipe was very easy, very green, and very healthy with all those good fats you keep hearing about. Plus it was light and filling and you feel oh-so aristocratic as you eat it, almost as if you should head out to the lawn after you're finished for a nice game of croquet.

Cheers!

Chilled Avocado Soup from this month's MS Living
serves 2 -- easily doubled
Blend one peeled, seeded English Cucumber (cut into chunks), 1/2 avocado (peeled and pitted) 1/2 cup low fat buttermilk, 1 small garlic clove, and one tablespoon fresh lemon juice in a blender. Season with salt and pepper and thin with water if desired. Transfer to a bowl and chill for at least an hour. Serve cold.

I garnished mine with cilantro pesto because we are far more spicy and unruly than perfect and proper. Surprisingly, the soup kept well in the fridge for over a day -- still bright, still green, still delicious.