Cold Cucumber Soup

By the Gracious Vegan

This soup is similar to a yogurt-based cucumber soup, but cashews, silken tofu, and lemon juice provide the tangy base in this recipe. Garden cucumbers work as well as seedless, making this soup a great way to use up cucumbers from the summer garden. The toasted sliced almonds add a critical layer of deliciousness that keeps you spooning this soup into your mouth.

Makes 4 servings (6 cups total) (about 150 calories per serving)

Soak cashews in cold water at least 2 hours, or pour boiling water over them, cover, and let them soak 20 minutes. Drain and rinse the cashews. (You can skip this step if you have a high-speed blender.)

• 2/3 cup raw cashews (whole or pieces)

Place the cashews in the blender with the following ingredients and blend until smooth

• 2/3 cup silken tofu

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

• 2-4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

• 1.5 teaspoons salt

Then add the cucumbers and parsley and blend until almost smooth – your preference of texture. 

• 8 cups cucumber (approximately 4 cucumbers), peeled and roughly chopped

• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, packed and roughly chopped

Chill for 1-2 hours (if all the ingredients have been in the refrigerator, it won’t take long to chill). Garnish, if desired, with one or more of the following:

• Toasted sliced almonds

• Grated cucumber (with peel)

• Chopped parsley

Timing: At least 90 minutes, with chilling time

Gluten-free