If you get tired of chewing large salads twice a day, raw soups are the perfect solution. They are an easy way to eat more vegetables, since blending concentrates a large amount of vegetables into a relatively small volume of soup. Blending also helps break down the fibers in vegetables, making them easier to digest—important if you are new to raw foods.

The best raw soups are delicately flavored—not too salty, spicy, or rich—so that you can easily eat a whole bowlful. Vegetable soups, at room temperature or slightly warmed, can be eaten as a first or main course year round.

A blended vegetable soup should contain following components: water, vegetables, fat, citrus, salt, and seasonings. The vegetables should be soft, such as zucchini, cucumber, tomato, red bell pepper, or greens. I avoid root and cruciferous vegetables in these soup recipes. Root vegetables, such as carrots and beets, become grainy when blended, and cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, broccoli, and collards, are too strongly flavored for raw soups. My favorite fat to use in soups is avocado—it gets creamy when blended and adds richness without being too heavy. Sometimes I add some olive oil for extra richness. Citrus can be lemon, lime, or orange juice, and seasonings can include garlic, onion, cayenne pepper, and fresh or dried herbs. A dash of sea salt rounds out the other flavors, or you can use miso, which adds the flavor of stock in addition to saltiness.

To make a raw soup, always add the water and the softest vegetables to your blender first. If you like a very thick soup, use less water to begin with and add the rest at the end to thin as needed. Don’t use too much lemon, salt, cayenne, or garlic to begin with; you can always adjust up later. Add the greens, avocado, and fresh herbs last, to avoid over-blending them. Garnish a raw soup with a drizzle of olive oil or a sprinkle of fresh minced herbs. For best flavor, serve the soup immediately. If you need to take it with you, carry it in a glass mason jar for an easy liquid meal.

Here are two recipes from my upcoming book, “Raw Food Made Easy” (to be published in August, 2005)

CREAM OF ZUCCHINI SOUP
Makes 2 cups, 2 servings

Ingredients

• ½ cup water
• 1 zucchini, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp mellow white miso
• ½ tsp crushed garlic (1 clove)
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• dash cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• ½ avocado, chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh minced dill, or 1 tsp dried

Equipment

• blender
• chef’s knife
• citrus juicer or reamer
• garlic press
• measuring cups and spoons
• spatula

Directions

1. Place all of the ingredients except the olive oil, avocado and dill in a blender. Blend until smooth.
2. Add the olive oil and avocado and blend until smooth. Add the dill and blend briefly just to mix.
3. Serve immediately.

CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP
Makes 1 ½ cups, 1-2 servings

Ingredients

• 4 Roma or 2 vine-ripened tomatoes, seeded and chopped (about 1½ cups)
• ¼ cup water
• ½ tsp crushed garlic (1 clove)
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• ¼ tsp onion powder
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• ½ avocado, chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh minced dill or basil, or 1 tsp dried

Equipment

• blender
• chef’s knife
• garlic press
• measuring cups and spoons
• serrated knife
• spatula

Directions

1. Place all of the ingredients except the olive oil, avocado and dill or basil in a blender. Blend until smooth.
2. Add the olive oil and avocado and blend until smooth. Add the dill or basil and blend briefly just to mix.
3. Serve immediately.

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