^[1]Lettuce isn’t just for salads. Blending it with cucumber makes a light and delicious soup. Recipe contributed by Jennifer Cornbleet, from Raw Food Made Easy for 1 or 2 People, ^[2] revised edition. © 2012, Book Publishing Company.

Yield: 2 cups, 2 servings

• 1 1/2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 avocado, chopped
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh herbs
  (dill, fresh mint, tarragon, or cilantro), or 1 teaspoon dried

Put the lettuce, cucumber, water, lemon juice, garlic, and salt in a blender and process on medium speed until smooth. Add the avocado and oil and process on medium speed until smooth.

Add the herbs and process on medium speed briefly, just to mix. Stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator, Cream of Cucumber Soup will keep for 2 days.

* A note from Nava: I happened to have half an ear of leftover corn, so I garnished the soup with it, along with a little extra cilantro. It was heavenly!

Jennifer Cornbleet is a nationally recognized raw-food chef and instructor and a long-time faculty member at Living Light Culinary Institute in California. She lectures and holds classes in the San Francisco Bay area and internationally. For more information about Jennifer, visit learnrawfood.com. ^[3]

• Explore other cold summer soups. ^[4]