Made in the blender

Ingredients

• 1/3 of a jalapeno, sliced (optional)
• 1 tablespoon shallot, plus more for garnish ( or sub 1 green onion)
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1 large English cucumber (12 ounces) sliced (or sub-Turkish cukes, or any thin-skinned cukes- see notes)
• 1/4– 1/2 cup cilantro (or sub fresh dill, Italian parsley or even basil)
• 1–2 tablespoons lime juice (or lemon)
• 1 cup plain greek yogurt (you can sub buttermilk here for both the yogurt and the sour cream)
• 1/4 cup sour cream ( or use more yogurt, but I prefer the sour cream)
• 1/2– 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper or white pepper
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• poached shrimp (optional) drizzled with lime, olive oil, salt
• diced avocado
• diced cucumber
• 1 –2 tablespoons red onion or shallots- very finely diced
• 2 scallions (or chives) – thinly sliced at a diagonal
• cilantro or dill, finely chopped
• Lime zest
• microgreens or edible flowers (coriander flowers, borage, nasturtiums)
• swirl of yogurt or 3 tablespoons sour cream, thinned with 1 tablespoon water

Instructions

1. Place the first 12 ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until serving. You can make this a day ahead. Taste and adjust salt, spice level, and acid to your liking.
2. Prep any garnishes you are using, finely dicing cucumber and shallot, slicing scallions, etc.
3. Mix sour cream and water in a small bowl (if making the swirl).

To serve: divide chilled soup among bowls and garnish beautifully.

1. Spoon a large circle or “crescent” of thinned sour cream, then top with garnishes (see photos) cucumber, shallots, scallions, cilantro and microgreens, cooked shrimp, or edible flowers.
2. Serve immediately!

Notes

It's nice if the soup is really cold- so best to make it a little ahead of time so it has time to chill.✌️

Cucumbers: If wanting to use thick-skinned or waxy cucumbers, fine, but make sure to peel them first. Also taste for bitterness level before using. 😉 Thin-skinned work best here and give the soup a vibrant green color because the skin is blended up too. UP to you. If using peeled cucumbers, you could add a handful of fresh spinach or even arugula to bump up the color.