Cucumber Melon Gazpacho

You know what they say, "cold soup is hot in the summer"!

This chilled cucumber melon gazpacho is a perfect hot humid weather soup.

The combination of sweet melon blended with juicy cucumber is light, not too sweet, and refreshing.

Melon and cucumbers are really not a surprising combination.
They both come from the same family called Cucurbitaceae, 
Both cucumbers and cantaloupe have a high water content, thus helping with hydration during the hot and humid summer months. In addition, cantaloupe is a great source of Vitamin C. 

Since gazpacho is made from raw blended produce, you get the full benefit of all the nutrients and enzymes that may be destroyed in cooked food!

I peeled the cucumber for this soup as I was concerned the peel might add bitterness

 I also included some savory fresh thyme and fragrant fresh mint from my patio herb garden. Finally I added banana to give it some creaminess. The color, the taste, and the aroma are very intriguing.

The first time I ever had a chilled fruit soup was on a cruise. Each night the menu listed one chilled soup made from fruits or vegetables. For example, they offered a chilled gingered pear soup one night, and a carrot lime the next.

Strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries were also used in other chilled soups. I found it interesting, but I just couldn't wrap my hand around it initially. It took me a while to develop a taste for cold soup. However, surprisingly my husband, who doesn't usually like sweet food, loved these soups.  

He ordered one every night of our 14 day cruise.

One of the chilled soups he particularly liked was a cucumber melon gazpacho. I've tried to replicate it. The cruise's version was made with yogurt.  Personally, I wanted to keep this soup vegan and dairy free. I found that the addition of a banana did the trick. It thickened up the recipe and made it nice and creamy.

It isn't exactly the same as the soup we had on the cruise, but my husband enjoyed it just as much. 

In this hot weather, it is a pleasure to be able to whiz a refreshing soup in the blender.  No cooking needed.

Author: Judee Algazi @ Gluten Free A-Z Blog

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cook Time: N/A 

Serves: 4 cups 

Ingredients: 

2 cups of cantaloupe, chunked

1 cup sliced cucumber

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 cup of slice banana

2 sprigs of fresh thyme (remove leaves from stems)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Optional garnish: chopped red grapes

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in a blender or Nutribullet and whiz until well blended. Pour into 4 soup bowls or glasses and chill until ready to serve. 

Notes: 

1. I used cantaloupe, but I think honeydew could work as well. 

2. I garnished the soup with chopped red grapes and additional fresh mint

3. This isn't for everyone- you gotta like cold soup!
4. Recipes are always a guideline. Everyone has different tastes- so please add more or less thyme or mint depending on your preferences. Maybe you can even think of another herb to add!

Try one of my other chilled soups:

Chilled Carrot Ginger   or    Chilled fresh corn chowder with fennel

Shared on Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking where anyone can share a food related post.

Also shared on Souper Sunday where anyone can share a soup, sammie, or salad recipe!