Chilled Cucumber & Avocado Soup

(about 2-3 servings)

This fresh and delicious soup is topped with an aromatic dice of cucumber which provides a nice texture.  The buttermilk, yogurt and lemon juice give this soup a wonderful tang and the avocado lends its rich creaminess. 

This soup comes together very quickly and could be eaten right away, however I like it best when it's cooled for an hour or two. This recipe can easily be doubled for a larger crowd, but you might have to process the soup in batches.

soup

2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 small avocado

3/4 large English cucumber, cut up

2 tbsp red onion, diced

2-3 sprigs fresh dill

1/4 tsp salt, or more to taste

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

topping

1/4 large English cucumber, cut into small dice

1/2 clove garlic, minced

2 tsp lemon zest, finely minced (use a microplane if possible)

2 tsp fresh dill, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil

Place the buttermilk, yogurt, lemon juice, avocado, cucumber, onion, and dill into a blender. Process until smooth.

Pour into a serving bowl and stir in the salt and pepper. Adjust the seasoning as needed. Chill for an hour or two.

Just before serving combine the diced cucumber, garlic, lemon zest, dill and olive oil in a small bowl.

Ladle the chilled soup into bowls and top with the diced cucumber mixture. Serve.