My husband’s mother came for a visit last weekend.  To welcome her to our wonderful city I wanted to make a nice dinner.  However, she arrived on one of the hottest days of the year so I didn’t want to serve a heavy meal.  Fortunately, my mom recently posted a chilled soup recipe to our family’s recipe blog.  It was just the kind of inspiration I needed!  Loaded with vegetables, this soup is full of flavor and nutrition. Plus, it was easy to prepare ahead of time – a big plus for me because I have three kids to mind.

Along with my mom’s chilled Cucumber Avocado Soup, I served a simple tomato tart and the Arugula and Roasted Beet Salad I posted last week.  It all came together beautifully – a perfect meal for a hot summer night!

Cucumber Avocado Soup

1 English cucumber, roughly chopped
1 ripe avocado, peeled and pit removed
Juice of 1 lime
3 T chopped chives
1 Jalapeno pepper with seeds*, chopped
8 oz Greek yogurt
1 t salt (or more, to taste)
1 C small ice cubes
Cilantro, for garnish

Put all ingredients in food processor or blender (except cilantro). Blend completely for smooth texture.  Add some water if its too think.  Garnish w/chopped Cilantro.  Serve very cold. Will refrigerate nicely for up to 24 hours.

*This soup has a kick, if desired, omit Jalapeno seeds entirely or just use a small amount, they will blend very fine. I removed almost all the seeds and stems and it was still quite spicy.

Simple Tomato Tart

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced

olive oil

1-2 tomatoes, sliced thin and drained a bit to remove most of the water

a few handfuls of shredded cheese (I used a mozzarella-provolone blend)

Salt

Crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the unfolded puff pastry onto the paper. Brush lightly with olive oil. Spread cheese evenly and then top with tomatoes.  Top with garlic, some salt and a few good shakes of crushed red pepper.

Bake for 10-15 minutes – until pastry is starting to brown and cheese is bubbly.

Slice and serve!