Not all soups need cold weather and a roaring fire to taste good.  There are some great soups that have been cooled down for summer.  Gazpacho and vichyssoise are two rather well-known cold soups, but there are many others, including fruit-based dessert soups.  It’s a delicious way to increase your fruit and vegetable consumption and to enjoy summer’s bounty.

• Gazpacho is a delicious combination of crisp vegetables in a well-seasoned tomato broth (see archived recipe)
• Vichyssoise is a cold potato soup flavored with fresh leeks (see this month’s recipe)
• Cold tomato soup is a great way to use those home-grown tomatoes; season with fresh thyme and top with garlic croutons
• Chilled split pea soup can be made with 1% buttermilk and garnished with fresh mint
• Melon soup is a no-cook dish made with pureed cantaloupe, honeydew, or watermelon and a creamy low fat yogurt or fruit juice base

These dishes are colorful and even cream-based soups can be modified to be low in fat and calories (see this month’s recipe).  They are perfect for summer meals.