The idea of a chilled soup is quite an alien concept to many people even though there are some classic recipes like gazpacho and vichyssoise (try gazpacho – it’s delicious!). But what about fruit soups? Fruit soups are delightful. You can have them as a snack or a dessert and it’s a great way to get your fruit fix. And they’re great for when you’re trying to lose weight. I’m so hoping you’ll want to dig into these fruit soups.
Ingredients:
4 cups watermelon
2 ripe bananas
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
¼ cup cold mint tea
1 cup apple cider or juice
1 cup plain non-fat yoghurt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
Fresh mint sprigs
2 ice cubes
Method:
Put the watermelon, bananas, cider, yogurt, cinnamon and ice cubes in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a jug or bowl. Add the mint tea and stir. Add the strawberries and chill for 1 hour. Serve garnished with mint sprigs.
Ingredients:
12 medium-sized peaches
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup plain non-fat yogurt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Cold water
Method:
Cook the peaches for 2-3 minutes in boiling water – best done in batches of 3 or 4. Remove and put into a bowl of cold water. When cool, peel and chop the fruit. Put the peaches – reserving 1 cup – honey, lemon juice, yogurt, the spices and ¾ cup cold water into a blender. Puree until smooth. Chill for 2 hours and serve garnished with the reserved peaches.
Ingredients:
8 pears
¼ tsp sea salt
4 tbsp brown rice syrup (or 3 tbsp maple syrup or 3 tbsp honey)
½ tsp peeled and finely minced fresh ginger or ½ tsp ground ginger
1 star anise
Fresh mint leaves
Method:
Peel, core and dice the pears. Put the pears in water with the salt and star anise, bring to the boil and then turn down to a simmer. Add the rice syrup and ginger and leave to simmer for 3 minutes. Take off the heat and leave to cool. When cool, puree the whole mix and put in fridge to chill. Serve garnished with fresh mint leaves.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp cornstarch
2½ cups fresh blueberries
3 tbsp sugar
1½ cups Marsala wine
½ cup non-fat sour cream or yogurt
Method:
Mix the cornstarch with ¼ cup of cold water. Put the blueberries, cornstarch mix, sugar, wine and 1¾ cups of cold water into a saucepan. Cook on a low heat until blueberries are soft (about 15 minutes). Puree in a blender until smooth and put in fridge to chill. To serve, stir in the yogurt or sour cream.
Ingredients:
2 cups cherry juice
2 cups fat-free yogurt
As many cherries as you want
Method:
Chill the cherries. Blend the cherry juice and the yogurt together and chill. Put the juice blend in a bowl and drop in as many cherries as you want. Put an extra glob of yogurt on the top if you like.
Ingredients:
2 cups cantaloupe melon
4 large peaches
1 ripe banana
2 cups blueberries
4 cups orange juice
1 cup pineapple juice
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup ice cubes
Method:
Put the melon, peaches and banana in a blender with 2 cups of orange juice and puree until smooth. Pour into a pitcher or bowl. Now puree the blueberries, pineapple juice, 2 cups of orange juice, lemon juice and spices and blend until smooth. Mix the two blended mixes together. Chill for at least one hour before serving.
Ingredients:
3 cups chopped cantaloupe
2 tsp chopped candied (crystallized) ginger
¾ cup orange juice
¼ cup lemon juice
½ cup rice or soy cream
More candied ginger for garnish
Method:
Put 2 cups of melon, juices and ginger into a blender and process until smooth. Pour into a bowl and stir in the rice/soy cream. Chill. To serve, ladle the soup over the remaining melon and garnish with slivers of ginger.
*All recipes are for 4 servings but are easily adjustable.
Which are you going to try first?