Cold Cucumber Soup

This is a great soup for a hot summer day, tart, crunchy and refreshing. Ina Garten tops her original recipe (which I had to change quite a bit) with shrimp, but it is also perfect with salmon cakes over salad. This is quick and easy to make IF you can find pre-made coconut milk yogurt. If you have to make the yogurt yourself, allow an extra 24 hrs prep time. Also please remember that coconut milk has far fewer natural sugars than cow's milk, so you do not need to add any lemon juice or vinegar, and you might even want to add a little raw honey, warmed up first so it dissolves well. Serves 4

1-1/4 c coconut milk yogurt (here is Paleo Plan's recipe*, which I used)
4 oz whole organic coconut milk
1 English cucumber, unpeeled, seeded & chopped
1/4 c chopped red onion
3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 TB fresh dill, minced
Optional: 1+ TB raw honey, warmed up

Dump the cucumber, red onion, scallion, salt & pepper in a food processor and pulse until it's fairly well chopped. Add the coconut milk and pulse until coarsely pureed, but it still has texture.

Put into a large mixing bowl, stir in the yogurt and dill, and taste for salt & pepper.

Note: It will be less sweet than a yogurt made with cow's milk, and the tartness will vary depending on the probiotics. Likewise, whole coconut milk has a lot less natural sugar than light cream from cow's milk. So if you like, add 1 or 2 TB of raw honey to taste.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours before serving.

*Inner Eco's coconut water probiotic kefir is at most Whole Foods Markets