Vegan Chilled Avocado, Tomatillo and Cucumber Soup with Saffron-Lime Ice

Note from Cheri: The recipe, text and photo below are reprinted with permission The Artful Vegan: Fresh Flavors from the Millennium Restaurant by Eric Tucker with Bruce Enloe, Desserts by Amy Pearce (2003 Ten Speed Press). This fabulous book takes healthy vegan food to new levels of haute cuisine. Click here to learn more about this book and for more great sample recipes. You can find any of the unusual ingredients in this recipe at most natural foods stores.

Saffron-Lime Ice Juice of 2 limes 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, soaked in 1/4 cup warm water for 20 minutes 1 teaspoon unrefined sugar 1 teaspoon Hungarian or Spanish paprika, toasted 1/2 cup water 1/3 teaspoon salt Soup 1/2 yellow onion cut into 1/2 inch dice 4 cloves garlic, peeled 1 jalapeño chile 3 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted 8 tomatillos, peeled 1 English cucumber, peeled, halved and seeded 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves 1 teaspoon dried oregano, toasted 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper juice of 1 lime 2 teaspoons light miso 3 cups water salt cayenne pepper (optional) 1/3 cup slivered almonds, toasted and very coarsely chopped for garnish

Serves 6 To Make the Ice: Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl and pour into a 2 inch deep pan. Freeze for 3-4 hour until solid. To Make the Soup: Heat a large non-stick sauté pan over high heat. Add the onions, garlic and jalapeno. Dry toast, stirring frequently, for 7-10 minutes, until half the onions, garlic and jalapeno are charred. Remove from the pan and let cool to room temperature. Peel and seed the jalapeño. Place the avocado in a mixing bowl with the cooled onion, garlic and jalapeno. Add the tomatillos, cucumber, cilantro, oregano, nutmeg, black pepper, lime juice, miso and water. In a blender, or using a hand-held immersion blender, blend the ingredients in batches until smooth. Add salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until well chilled. To Serve: Ladle the soup into 6 martini glasses. Sprinkle toasted almonds over the top of each. Scrape the saffron ice crystals off the pan with a fork, and place 2 teaspoons on each serving of soup. Serve immediately. Per Serving Soup: 203 calories (64% from fat); 4.7 g protein; 15 g carbohydrate; 15 g fat; 0 mg cholesterol' 84 mg sodium; 3.5 g fiber. Per Serving Ice: 3 calories (5%from fat); 0 g protein; 0.7 f carbohydrate; 0.1g fat; 0 mg cholesterol; 40 mg sodium; 01. G fiber.