When your garden is producing and the weather is hot, you have the perfect ingredients for a cold summer soup. This recipe can be varied according to the veggies you have on hand.

This week I used:
Summer squash
Green Beans
Tuscan Kale
Cilantro or herbs of choice
Onion and Garlic
Water and Vegetable stock
Small amount of olive oil
Seasonings of choice
Crème fraîche when serving (you could use yogurt or sour creme)

This soup can be flavored in any ethnic direction. Add soy sauce and grated ginger, or parsley and lemon. I used cilantro, cumin, salt and pepper.

The amounts of each vegetable aren’t that important.

Chop the onions and put aside. Chop other veggies into big pieces and put them in a bowl.

Put the olive oil in a pan and turn heat to medium-high. Add chopped onion and stir for four or five minutes. Add garlic and reduce heat to medium. When the onion starts to get translucent add the main veggies (reserve the herbs) and cover with stock or water. Bring to a simmer and cook over low heat with a lid on the pan until veggies are soft. Add chopped herbs and any other seasoning desired. Turn off the heat but leave the covered pan on the stove.

Once the cooked veggies are close to room temperature, puree it in small batches in a food processor. Put in the fridge to chill and serve with a spoonful of crème fraîche, yogurt, sour cream or hummus. You could also serve with croutons, chopped nuts or other finely chopped vegetables on top.

Garnish with an edible flower or herbs. I used a sprig of variegated mint and a piece of Oregano ‘Kent Beauty’ for this bowl