Cold Cucumber Herb Soup

This Cold Cucumber Herb Soup is filled with healing superfoods and greens. Make a pitcher and keep it in the fridge for the hot summer days ahead!

It’s finally summer here in New York City. And wow, it is hot! It’s no secret that I am a huge soup fan, so when the thermometer starts to climb, I switch to cold soups. In the winter, I make a huge pot of soup, and then clear a big space on the lowest shelf in my fridge, and that big pot will sit there so I can eat it all week.

Cold soups are a little different. I’m not sure why they are prettier, but they are. And they are obviously more refreshing. And they are really easy to make, so you have to love that on a summer day. Some are made in the blender and some are even just stirred together in a huge bowl on my counter.

I was in the middle of a free phone consultation with a lovely soul last week who has some swelling in her hands and feet and she lives in a really hot southern state. I knew I needed to give her an easy recipe that would cool her down and get rid of some of that swelling… this is the recipe that I developed for her… and for me, because I just love it.

One of my favorite things to do is to match the correct recipes to the specific needs in your body — so, I hope you sign up for your free phone consultation too.

Cucumbers help cool the body down and rid it of excess heat. They also act as a diuretic and can get rid of swelling.

The greens in this soup will keep you energized.

And the herbs will boost your immune system.

That’s a pretty awesome bowl of soup in my book!

Oh, and did I mention that this soup is so easy to make? Toss everything in the blender, whiz it up, and you’re good to go!

And one more thing… there’s almost no calories in this soup. What more could you ask? Except, of course that it be delicious… which it is!

This cold cucumber herb soup is a blender soup. And it couldn’t be easier. Or prettier. There’s no way I can hide a soup this pretty on the bottom shelf of the fridge. Nope, it deserves prime real estate in a beautiful glass pitcher on the top shelf. Right next to my kombucha and my jars of Chinese herbs. A place of honor.

Have you ever looked at The Feed Feed? It’s an awesome site that has the most beautiful foodie photos. I have to give a big thanks to those geniuses because that’s where I got the original inspiration for this chilled soup.

I know, I’m waxing on and on about a simple batch of soup. And I know when my family reads this they will be rolling their eyes. But even the eye-rollers will happily slurp up this refreshing bowl of healing goodness.

If you have jumped on the cooling summer recipe bandwagon, you should also try my recipe for Zoodles With Raw Tomato Basil Sauce because they are also simple, cooling, and so easy to make. This zoodles recipe and the recipe for Cold Cucumber Herb Soup are both paleo-friendly, which is awesome for almost everyone. If you want simple answers and explanations, read my article: What Is Paleo And How To Succeed With It.

Because I’m on such a healing soup kick lately, let me give you a soup recipe that will work for whatever’s going on in your body now… I’m such a geek that I really do get excited about doing this. So CLICK HERE to be taken directly into my calendar to sign up for your free phone consultation.

Here are some details about the healing ingredients in this Cold Cucumber Herb Soup:

Cucumbers are awesome, both for taste and health reasons. In Chinese medicine, they are known to have exceptional healing capabilities. They cool the body, expel toxins, purify the blood, strengthen the heart, moistens the large intestines and the lungs and kill tapeworms. They are good to eat if you have swelling in your hands or feet, or if you have a bladder infection.

Arugula has a good amount of calcium and it also contains vitamins A, C and K. It is rich in potassium and it’s extra beneficial in the summer because it actually cools the body down. This delicious peppery green is also believed to be a libido booster. One of the first things I learned when I started really taking care of my health through proper nutrition, was to substitute dark greens for lighter greens whenever possible. One of the easiest, tastiest, and healthiest switches you can make is to swap out some of your lighter salad greens for peppery, dark arugula.

Scallions, as I tell you often, are one of my favorites. In Chinese medicine, the root of the scallion is a healing herb (Cong Bai). I always keep scallions on hand in my refrigerator so that I can whip up a batch of cold and flu fighting tea (scallion roots and ginger) the second anyone feels that scratchy throat coming on. It helps the body sweat out toxins. Scallions are antiviral and antibacterial; they are good for the common cold and general nasal congestion — just don’t eat too many if you have a fever.

Dill is considered a chemoprotective herb that can help neutralize some carcinogens and it’s also an antibacterial herb.

Mint is a Chinese herb called Bo He. It’s one of the best things to fight a cold, sore throat, or fever and it’s good for some abdominal pains too.

Cilantro is also known as Chinese Parsley. It is good for the common cold, indigestion, and energy flow in the body. An old Chinese remedy for the common cold and even for measles was to drink cilantro and mint tea. Cilantro is one of those herbs you either love or hate; I’m a lover…

Parsley has been shown to reduce tumors in the lungs and to neutralize the effects of carcinogens, including cigarette smoke. It is high in vitamins A and C, and is good for your heart. This herb is also a natural breath freshener. So, if you have a chance to use more than a few sprigs as a garnish, go for it.

Hemp seeds are a superfood. They are high in protein, easily digestible, and contain a full complement of amino acids. They contain disease-fighting phytonutrients that are good for your blood, immune system, tissues and skin. Hemp contains a specific fatty acid that acts as a powerful anti-inflammatory. It also helps balance hormones, making it a great choice to fight the symptoms of PMS. This super seed is also good for your liver and your brain. I sprinkled these awesome seeds on top of my soup, but feel free to mix them in too!

Garlic is amazing in its antiviral and antibacterial capabilities. Garlic is actually a Chinese herb (Da Suan). It’s used to kill toxins and parasites and also to reduce swelling in the body. It’s what I call a great “A” herb: anesthetic, antibacterial, anti fungal, antioxidant, antiviral, etc…. I always keep several heads of garlic on hand in my kitchen. When I catch a cold, I blend up the cloves from a head of garlic along with some lemon, lime, and honey and I drink it… it knocks those germs to the curb!

Limes help to regenerate fluids, so they are great to combat any dehydration symptoms that sometimes can accompany alcohol consumption. They also contain a lot of vitamin C and they can actually help energize you. This recipe uses the juice and the rind of the lime!

If you plan on making this recipe, or if you make it and love it, leave me a comment below… I love to hear from you!