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The summer this year has been very mild in comparison to years past where temperatures would surely reach the one hundred and fifteens or higher by July and August.  This morning I actually got up for an early ride the the temp at 5am was near 75 F!  That is unheard of really.  It of course has still been pretty darn hot though and turning on the oven is only done as a last resort if you want to get roasty toasty.  I made some tasty recipes this past weekend that are nice and refreshing for summer…  

Usually soup to me is something you enjoy by the fire when it’s freezing outside, but it actually is very tasty as a summery chilled version.  It took me a second to wrap my head around avocado soup, but it was delicious!

Avocado Corn Chowder

from:  CookingLight

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

• 3 large ripe avocados
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (I used TJ’s fresh squeezed version, be sure to use fresh or you could use some lemon juice)
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast grilled and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears)
• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup black beans
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 lime wedges

1. Peel and coarsely chop 1 avocado; place in a blender. Add water, orange juice, honey, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and red pepper; blend until smooth. Place in freezer to chill while chicken cooks.

2.  Saute the onions, bell pepper, and corn in a small amount of olive oil to give it some color.

3. Peel and dice remaining avocado.  Mixed the diced avocado, corn, bell pepper, onion, black beans and chicken in a small bowl and then add a scoop to chilled avocado puree in a bowl. Top with cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Note:  This recipe is best eaten right after it’s made because the avocado does not keep well the next day.

We enjoyed it will a refreshing sauvignon blanc from Jessup Cellars.  I really like their wines and this one was nice and fruity and well balanced.

This soup is refreshing and still really filling with all the healthy fats.  I only could finish 1/2 this bowl.

Another favorite cold soup I’ve made is Watermelon Gazpacho.

Next up….

My friend’s peach tree is in full bloom this time of year and full of wonderful, luscious fruit.  I can’t seem to find any good peaches in the stores here and these were some of the best peaches I’ve had!  Yum what a treat!

She graciously gave me a couple bags full 🙂

Aside from eating one or two for dessert or a snack, I decided to make some peach ice cream!

I haven’t made ice cream of frozen yogurt in ages, so this was a tasty treat.  I just love making things from scratch, especially when there are only a few ingredients.

First you take about 12 medium sized peaches…

Chop and peel them.

Throw into the food processor and pulse  a few times.

In a large bowl add the following ingredients:

1 cup of suga’ along with 2.5 cups half and half, 2 tsp of pure vanilla extract, 1/2-1 tsp of cinnamon, and the pulsed peaches.

Mix all together, cover and place in the fridge overnight to get really cold and then add to a frozen bowl of an ice cream maker.

Place in the freezer for at least 2 hours to set up and enjoy!

Boy this is good 🙂

I still have a good amount of peaches left, so I’m going to whip up some more peach creations soon.  Have a wonderful day!

What are some of your latest recipes for summer? 

(p.s. my comment form wasn’t working, but hopefully it should now.  Thanks for reading!)