This week summer came to the San Francisco Bay Area for the first time in a while, leaving fog-drenched residents blissed out but panting from the searing heat. Seems to be the perfect time to eat chilled soup for supper.

When most of us think of cold soup, gazpacho, or perhaps chilled potato leek soup, comes to mind. But a look around the web reveals a rich treasure of creative concoctions using summer ingredients and flavor profiles.

Martha Stewart Living has a giant chilled soup section with a whopping 40 recipes for chilled soups.

My two top picks are the Cucumber-Buttermilk Gazpacho with crunchy Spain-inspired garnishes and the Chilled Corn and Coconut Soup.

If you’re like me, you’re still trying to think of creative ways to use the zucchini onslaught. This recipe for Chilled Zucchini Soup from Epicurious fits the bill.

I’m not crazy about gazpacho. The kitchen sink mentality of cooking evident in most gazpacho recipes always makes me feel like I’m spooning salsa into my mouth. The different vegetables don’t seem to ever hang together into a cohesive whole. However, while this Chilled Tomato Soup with Cilantro and Yogurt Swirl from Eating Well gives a nod to gazpacho, it sounds much simpler and way more interesting, due to the addition of smoky chipotle chiles and the well considered garnishes.

Main image: Ulterior Epicure via Flickr Creative Commons. Other images from Martha Stewart Living, Epicurous and Eating Well respectively.

The post Chilled Summer Soup Recipes for Sultry Evenings appeared first on EcoSalon.

When the weather is hot and sultry, what’s better than a cucumber? They’re refreshing, crunchy, cooling and in season now. (If only the weather were hot and sultry in the San Francisco Bay Area, but that’s another story.)

There are so many different varieties available these days in farmers’ markets. From Armenian to lemon cucumbers, you could try a different one every day of the week in salads, soups, pickles, and more. Here’s a rundown of recipes from around the web that celebrate cucumbers!

From Shockingly Delicious we’ve got a simple and super classic cucumber salad that sounds, well, shockingly delicious.

Over at The Kitchn they’re using up their abundant cucumber harvest by making cucumber juice. I see some vodka in there somewhere.

And Cooking with Amy offers up a gorgeous, smooth green soup with avocados and cucumbers.

Image: Swanksalot

The post When the Mercury Rises: 3 Recipes with Cucumbers appeared first on EcoSalon.