Watermelon Soup - a refreshing treat

I can't believe that it is April already!  Where did March go? 

The weather has been so unusual this year that the plants are either  way ahead or way behind.  Most of our blueberries froze when we had 2 days of below freezing temperatures and about half of our azaleas have freeze damage.

Local blueberries that survived the weather have already been available for purchase, so, I wasn't surprised to see some watermelons in the store.   I bought one.

Unfortunately, it was quite a disappointment.   So, what do you do with an under par watermelon?  I remembered that I had a recipe, somewhere, for watermelon soup.  

 The last time I made it, everyone commented how "refreshing" it was.  I just had to find the recipe.

Thank goodness, I had shared it right here on our blog.  It is incredibly simple to make.   Cut up some watermelon and put it in the blender with some honey, ginger, fresh mint, fresh lime juice and apple juice.  Blend for just a second or two.  Let the flavors meld for a little while in the fridge.  Serve plain or with a dollop of yogurt.  I chose to pipe the yogurt into a heart shape and added a strawberry and fresh mint leaf for garnish. 

Thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn Bed and Breakfast blog.  We hope you'll come stay with us, soon.

Love,

Susan

Chilled Watermelon Soup (from Southern Living July 2003)

The recipe says it yields 4 cups of soup - when I made it, it came out to 3 cups of soup)

• 4 cups seeded watermelon cubes
• 1/3 cup apple juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon honey (optional)
• 1/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt

Process first 5 ingredients and honey, if desired, in a blender or food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Cover and chill 1 hour. Serve in individual bowls with a dollop of yogurt.

Refreshing, Chilled Watermelon Soup

April has been a crazy, busy month for us.  I'm not complaining.  I'm merely stating a fact.  No daytripping for us.  But, I did try a new recipe that I'd like to share with you.

Have you ever bought a watermelon and after eating it for a few days you wonder what to do with the rest of the melon?  Well, here's an idea - chilled watermelon soup.  When I made it, Kim and I both said the same thing on the first taste.  "Refreshing!"

It is incredibly simple to make.   Cut up some watermelon and put it in the blender with some honey, ginger, fresh mint, fresh lime juice and apple juice.  Blend for just a second or two.  Let the flavors meld for a little while in the fridge.  Serve plain or with a dollop of yogurt.  I chose to pipe the yogurt into a heart shape and added a strawberry and fresh mint leaf for garnish. 

Thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn Bed and Breakfast blog.  We hope you'll come stay with us, soon.

Love,

Susan

Chilled Watermelon Soup (from Southern Living July 2003)

The recipe says it yields 4 cups of soup - when I made it, it came out to 3 cups of soup)

• 4 cups seeded watermelon cubes
• 1/3 cup apple juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon honey (optional)
• 1/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt

Process first 5 ingredients and honey, if desired, in a blender or food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Cover and chill 1 hour. Serve in individual bowls with a dollop of yogurt.

Cold Blueberry Soup on a hot Summer's Day

Cold Blueberry Soup

It's blueberry time here in South Georgia.  I've been stocking up on fresh, organic, local blueberries and the freezer is just about full.  There are so many things you can make with blueberries, besides the obvious blueberry muffins, cobbler, pie or jam.  How about some refreshing cold blueberry soup?

I looked through my cookbooks and online and found many variations of blueberry soup.  I took the basic idea and came up with my own recipe using evaporated skim milk.  Evaporated skim gives it body and texture without the fat of regular milk or cream.  Of course, feel free to garnish the soup with a little whipped cream, sour cream or yogurt to give it a creamier texture.  I created the pretty pattern by swirling some whipped cream (I used a ziploc bag with the corner cut off) and then using a knife to cut in the design.

Cold Blueberry Soup

Yield:  4 large servings or 6 small servings

3 cups fresh blueberries

3/4 cup orange juice

6 Tablespoons sugar (or sugar substitute)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch salt

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice - divided

12 oz can of evaporated skim milk, chilled

Garnish – whipped cream, sour cream or yogurt and fresh blueberries

1. Combine blueberries, orange juice, sugar, cinnamon, salt and 1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice in a saucepan.
2. Stirring frequently, heat on medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil.
3. Remove from heat, and let cool for about 10 minutes.
4. Add 1 Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice.
5. Using an immersion blender (or regular blender or food processor), process blueberry mixture and lemon juice until smooth.
6. Cover and chill until ready to serve.  (I chilled it overnight)
7. Stir in chilled evaporated skim milk just prior to serving.
8. Serve in stemmed glasses. Garnish, if desired.

Thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn blog.  We hope you'll visit us again, soon.