Avocado, Radish & Basil Soup: Easy, Cold Summer Soup for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

I'm am still in the thick of my annual summer "I don't want to cook anything" mood, which makes cold, no-cook, no-effort recipes like this Avocado, Radish & Basil Soup from Martha Stewart Living particularly appealing. With the avocado, fresh basil and radish, it tastes like summer in a cup. 

Martha Stewart Living says, "Scoop flesh from avocados and puree with water, salt, and basil in a blender until smooth. Add radishes, and pulse until chunky, about 4 times. Season with pepper. Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour. Stir well, and garnish with julienned radish and basil leaves if desired before serving."

Avocado, Radish & Basil Soup
Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, July 2012
(Serves 4 to 5)

2 chilled avocados (7-8 oz each)
3 cups cold water
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 cups basil leaves, plus more, julienned, for serving
(I added the juice of 1 lime)
3 trimmed large radishes (I used watermelon radishes)
Freshly ground pepper
Radish leaves, julienned (optional) (I added cubed avocado and julienned radish to the basil leaves for garnish) 

Scoop flesh from avocados and puree with water, salt, and basil in a blender until smooth. Add radishes, and pulse until chunky, about 4 times. Season with pepper. 

Refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour. Stir well, and garnish with julienned radish and basil leaves if desired before serving. 

Notes/Results: This is a rich and creamy soup, with great flavor for having so few ingredients. Beware of making it too far ahead because the avocado and basil will oxidize, dulling the color. For that reason and for the flavor, I added the juice of 1 lime. It really brightens up the taste and helps the soup stay a prettier green longer. The grocery store had watermelon radishes and so I bought them--liking their milder flavor and pop of bright color on top of the soup. I also added some chopped avocado as topping, to give things a nice textural contrast. This soup is quick and effortless to make and a cup satisfies with the healthy fat and flavors. I would make it again. 

We have some good friends in the Souper Sundays kitchen who shared some marvelous dishes last week--let's have a look! 

Welcome Melynda of Our Sunday Cafe joining us for the first time this week at Souper Sundays with three dishes. First up is this Avocado Caprese Salad. She says, "Tonight we enjoyed a delicious Avocado Caprese Salad. This is a bit off the path from the usual Caprese salad, but very much a delight. And because it is a freestyle salad, feel free to improvise, to please your family."

Next is her Raw Beet Salad with Ruby Grapefruit Mint Vinaigrette, Melynda says, "Not only did we enjoy this salad for dinner, I get to take the leftovers with me today for lunch. I hope you give it a try, it is refreshing and delicious."

 
Finally there is her Creamy Paprika Salad Dressing used on a simple but delicious salad. Melynda says, "This dressing seems very simple and plain, but let me tell you, it is delicious. I am sure it is the lime juice. Lime juice always makes everything just a little bit better! Break some lettuce, slice some tomatoes and drizzle on this dressing for a quick, yet delicious salad."

Tina of Squirrel Head Manor made A Simple Black Bean and Veggie Soup inspired by a novel. She says, "Today I posted my review of Justin Cronin's The Twelve and, as I try and find a representative food from books I read, this soup was a clear choice. Homemade soup and bread were mentioned when Peter visited Amy.  This seems like a cheat talking about a "recipe" for this soup as it's pretty much a toss together from bits in the fridge and pantry." 

Vicki of I'd Rather Be At The Beach found a great new cookbook "101 Soups, Salads & Sandwiches" from Gooseberry Patch. She says, "Whether you’re looking for lunch recipes, side dishes, or hearty mains, you’ll love the variety in 101 Soups, Salads & Sandwiches Cookbook. ... I’ve been a fan of Gooseberry Patch for so many years so when I saw this book I couldn’t resist buying it. I love that it’s spiral bound, and the pages are easy to wipe clean if something splatters on them. This book will come in handy when I’m looking for a soup, salad, or sandwich recipe to post for Souper Sundays (soup, salads, or sandwiches) or Weekend Cooking."

Kim of Stirring the Pot made Diana Henry's Tagliata {Italian Steak Salad} and says that it is "an ultimately satisfying salad with rich and luxurious filet, fresh leafy greens, the bright pop of cherry tomatoes, and cheesy curls of Parmesan  tossed in a light and refreshing lemony garlic dressing. It's quite simply a flavor explosion! ... This is a delightful salad that hits all the right notes and is pleasing on both the eyes, and taste buds. You simply can't go wrong with this one!"

 
Thanks to everyone who joined in this week!

Souper Sundays is back with a new format of a picture link each week where anyone interested can post their soups, salads, or sandwiches any time during the week and I post a recap of the entries the following week.)

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here. 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you.

On your entry post (on your blog):

• please mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and link back to this post.
• you are welcome to add the wonderful Souper Sundays logo (created by Ivy at Kopiaste) to your post and/or blog (optional).

An InLinkz Link-up

Have a happy, healthy week!