The Cooking Cardiologist

Chilled Spring Soup Trio

I love spring, especially for the fresh start of the produce season. Chilled soups are just perfect for the spring and summer months. Serve these soups individually or as a tasting trio (Asparagus, Chilled Orange Strawberry Rhubarb and Chilled Mango Gazpacho) as a perfect spring starter to an evening dinner. Also this is a great way to achieve at least seven servings of fruits and vegetables daily. 

Asparagus is available pretty much year round and this soup can be served warm or chilled, depending upon the seasonal temperature. Look for green fresh, crunchy small stalks as they have more flavors and are less woody.

The Chilled Orange Strawberry Rhubarb is a perfect spring chilled soup with the benefit of vitamin C from the oranges and strawberries plus vitamin A from the rhubarb. Rhubarb is actually classified as a vegetable, but the majority of us consider it a fruit. It is quite acidic so the soup needs a sweetener. Sugar, honey, agave nectar or stevia can be used. Just add the sweetener at the last step and adjust sweetness to taste. The soup is best made fresh the day that it will be served.

And lastly, we have the mango gazpacho, which is originally from the Andalusia region of Spain where traditional gazpacho is made from tomatoes and fresh garden vegetables of peppers, onions, cucumber, garlic and vinegar. This Cooking Cardiologist/Americanized version changes the flavor to southwest with the addition of cilantro and lime.  This recipe is a twist on the original using fresh mangos and a prepared mango puree found in the juice section of most grocery stores or natural food stores. This chilled soup is loaded with vitamin C and colorful anti-oxidants. Serve in chilled martini glasses.