Thai Avocado Soup
Pair this cool, creamy and thick soup with a fresh salad for a light meal on a hot summer night. Or you can use the soup to dip sliced vegetables and fruit for a healthy snack. The soup gets its smooth and creamy texture from pureed avocados, which are rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. Studies have shown that substituting avocado for other sources of fat can substantially lower artery-clogging LDL (or so-called “bad cholesterol”).
Ingredients
- 2 ripe avocados halved and pitted
- ½ English cucumber cut into ½" slices with peel on, plus more diced cucumber for garnish
- 1¾ cups fat-free plain yogurt
- Juice of ½ lime
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ teaspoon chili paste or Tabasco sauce
- ½ teaspoon finely chopped lemongrass optional
- Salt
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
Instructions
- Using a spoon, scoop the avocado flesh out of their skins (discard the skins). Put the avocados in a blender. Add the sliced cucumber, yogurt, lime juice, cilantro, chili paste or Tabasco, and lemongrass, if using. Blend on high for 45 seconds to 1 minute, or until very smooth. Season to taste with salt.
- Transfer the blender to the refrigerator. Let the soup chill for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to blend. Pour the soup into bowls and garnish with the diced cucumber and mint leaves.