When it comes to the Summer, there are two stand out vegetables for me that I love to cook with (and make skincare with!) - cucumber and avocado.
This recipe is a cross between a guacamole and a gazpacho – it is so easy to prepare, is full of flavour and can be jazzed up wih lots of different garnishes (depending on what you have to hand) to make a lovely lunch, or perhaps an evening's starter.
Lots of these ingredients can also be found in my natural skincare range too - for example avocado is great for treating dry, dull, lack-lustre skin. It is very nourishing so a good ingredient for treating both dry skins as well as older, mature skins. You can find avocado in my natural night balm recipe, rest & regenerate. Cucumber meanwhile is rich in omega 6 essential fatty acids and can help stimulate cell regeneration & retains moisture in the skin. It is also a well-known remedy to help reduce dark under eye circles & skin pigmentation - and is a key natural ingredient in my eye oil recipe, angel eyes.
This recipe serves four people - or in our case, two very greedy ones!
Cucumber & Avocado Soup...
2 ripe avocados
2 organic cucumbers – peeled
1 clove garlic
4 limes
large pinch chipotle powder or chilli flakes
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt (I use maldon or cornish salt)
pinch black pepper
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
3 - 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Cut the avocado in half and scoop out the flesh. Cut the cucumber into small chunks. Place both in a blender. Grate in a clove of garlic. Finely grate the zest of 2 limes and the juice of all four limes. Add a very large pinch of chipotle powder and the salt and pepper. Add the vinegar and olive oil to the blender and blend until smooth.
Taste and add more salt, pepper, chipotle or lime if you think it needs it. Then, pour into a jug, cover with clingfilm and put into the fridge for at least 2 hours until it is very chilled.
To garnish...
very finely diced red onion
very finely diced green tomato
pinch of sea salt
pinch of chipotle powder (or chilli flakes)
borage flowers (optional)
a few leaves of coriander
a few leaves of mint
finely sliced radish
Pour the soup into bowls and add a little of each garnish to the bowl - as you wish, to your own taste. Borage is a lovely, cucumber-tasting edible flower that you can grow at home or find wild - but is optional so do not worry if you can't find them.
Enjoy!
Angela x
