Cold Cucumber Soup

This is one of my hands down favorite recipes.  If you've never tried a cold soup, try this one.  It is so crisp and refreshing.  The flavors really meld together after a day or two in the fridge - if it lasts that long!

Budget Tip

Make this in the summer-time and you can get cucumbers for right around .50/each.  That makes this recipe, super inexpensive and since it makes alot, it goes a long way!

Suggested Ingredients

2 TBSP butter (yes, use real butter)
3 good sized cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
1 videlia or other sweet onion, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cans of 98% fat free cream of celery soup
1 1/2 cups of water
1/3 cup fat free sour cream
freshly chopped dill, usually about a TBSP, but whatever you want

Suggested Cooking Method

Melt the butter in a good size cast iron skillet.  Throw in the cucumbers, onion and bay leaves.  A note about the by leaves, break them up a bit, but leave them large enough so you can pick them out later.  Cook over medium low heat for a while until the cucumbers are soft.  Be careful not to let it get brown.  Since the cucumbers have alot of water in them, you won't have to worry much about them burning as long as your heat is low.  Pick out the bay leaves and throw them away.

Now, the fun part.  There is NO way, unless you have an industrial size blender that you are going to get all of this in the blender at the same time so take the pan off of the heat and add the lemon juice.  Then add as much as you feel safe with into a blender and blend until smooth and frothy.  In a very large bowl add the water, soup, sour cream and dill and mix slightly with a spoon.  As you finish blending the cucumber and onions, add it to the ingredients in the bowl.  Once you've finished blending all of the cucumber and onions and added them to the bowl, mix again with the spoon.  Blend all of this again in the blender until it is smooth. 

I find that as it comes out of the blender, it's best to put it directly into 2 large storage containers.  Put the storage containers in the fridge and let it get cold.  I like to make this a day ahead of time so that it has time to get really chilly and for the flavors to meld together.

Don't be scared of this recipe because it has a blender in it or because you have to preplan and make it ahead of time.  This is one of the absolute best recipes and if you try it once, you will make it as often as you can!