Soup! Very green soup!

I have to admit, as much as I love them, I don't normally buy avocados in Iowa. They're just far too expensive. $1.69 for a single avocado? Give me a break. I'll take the packaged guac, thanks. However, I have been looking for tasty cold soups beyond the standard gazpacho, and this recipe from Spicy Salty Sweet, adopted from Gourmet (which I haven't actually had a chance to read, even though it's the June issue), caught my eye. Her picture makes it look much thicker and creamier, which is probably the buttermilk, but mine was still mighty tasty. Unfortunately, the man at the farmer's market lied when he said he had seedless cucumbers. I definitely spent some time hollowing out the seeds. That said, the cucumber was delicious, the extremely expensive avocado was mighty nice, and my adjustments (no salt, sweet onion instead of scallions) didn't really hurt anything. Soup that isn't perfectly smooth takes some getting used to, but I like the taste, especially the mint. Yum!

Cucumber and Avocado Soup
adapted from Gourmet via Spicy Salty Sweet
makes 3-4 servings

one large (preferably seedless) cucumber (about a pound)
one large avocado
1/8 to 1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
a couple squirts of lime juice or the juice of half a lime
1/2 cup skim milk

Chop the avocado and the cucumber into fairly large chunks, removing seeds from cuke if necessary. Leave aside a small handful of cucumber and avocado, and throw the rest into the food processor with the onion, mint, and lime juice. Process to a puree, then add the milk and blend until smooth. Throw the chunks of veggies in and eat.