Cool down with this chilled soup

Spring has quickly faded to summer. It's been in the 90s. The humid and hot weather naturally make me reach for fruit, raw veggies, and salads. I try to keep the oven off as much as possible, but I did manage to turn it on to make these on Saturday.

I enjoyed a curried cucumber soup with lunch on Friday from a local restaurant . I liked it so much that I decided to make it with dinner on Saturday night. It was perfect on a sticky June evening. I think I'm going to be making a lot of chilled soups this summer. They're easy to make and a good way to get more veggies in your meal.

Cucumber Soup

3 cucumbers

1 c plain yogurt (lowfat or whole milk)

1 tbsp olive oil

juice from 1/4 lemon (to taste)

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1 shallot, diced

1 tsp curry (optional)

A few basil leaves & cilantro*

Halve the cucumbers and scoop out the seeds. Dice the cucumber and put into a blender. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend. Season with salt and pepper. If you want a chunkier soup, reserve some of the cucumber and add to the blended mixture. Refrigerate and enjoy chilled. *You can add other herbs like dill, thyme, or mint if you'd like.