Soup-and-sandwich combos have moved past predictability. If the perfect matched set once was grilled cheese and tomato soup, the genre is no longer so limited.
Fresh ingredients and a sense of playfulness have created a wealth of new partnerships. Here, chilled avocado soup, enriched with peas and spinach, accompanies sausage and chicken sandwiches.
And because it’s impossible to have too many summer tomatoes, a simple salad that combines the red beauties with onions and cheese completes the menu along with lemonade.
Chilled avocado and pea soup
Sausage and chicken sandwiches with gunpowder mayonnaise
Tomato, red onion and feta salad
Ginger lomonade
CHILLED AVOCADO AND PEA SOUP
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
1 hot green pepper, seeded
2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted
1 cup each: tightly packed fresh spinach leaves, thawed frozen peas
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves
2 1/2 to 3 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 cup half-and-half
Diced tomatoes, sliced green onions, optional
1. Mince hot pepper in food processor fitted with metal blade. Add avocados, spinach, peas, cilantro and mint. Process until smooth.
2. Add 2 1/2 cups of the broth, lime juice and salt; mix until smooth. Stir in half-and-half and additional broth, if needed, to bring soup to desired consistency. Garnish with tomatoes and green onions, if desired.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 260 Fat ……….. 20 g Saturated fat .. 5 g
% calories from fat .. 65 Cholesterol .. 13 mg Sodium …… 425 mg
Carbohydrates …… 17 g Protein …….. 7 g Fiber ………. 8 g
SAUSAGE AND CHICKEN SANDWICHES WITH GUNPOWDER MAYONNAISE
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
The recipe was developed using fully cooked lamb sausages. Other varieties of well-seasoned, precooked sausage may be used. Or, use leftover grilled sausage.
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cooked lamb or other sausages
2 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut in strips
1 large roasted red or orange bell pepper, cut in strips
4 rounds pita bread
Gunpowder mayonnaise, see recipe
1. Heat oil in large non-stick skillet. Cut sausages in half lengthwise; cut in half crosswise. Add sausages and chicken to skillet; cook, turning several times, until heated through, about 5 minutes.
2. Spread bread with mayonnaise; top with sausage, chicken and peppers.
Nutrition information per serving (without mayonnaise):
Calories ………… 430 Fat ……….. 14 g Saturated fat .. 4 g
% calories from fat .. 29 Cholesterol .. 95 mg Sodium …… 650 mg
Carbohydrates …… 36 g Protein ……. 38 g Fiber …….. 2.1 g
GUNPOWDER MAYONNAISE
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1/3 cup
With its healthy dose of ground red pepper, this mayonnaise is not for the faint of heart. The amount of pepper can be cut in half for a more temperate version.
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon each: grated lemon zest, ground red pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
Stir together all ingredients in small bowl. Can be refrigerated up to 1 week.
Nutrition information per tablespoon:
Calories ………… 100 Fat ……….. 11 g Saturated fat .. 1.6 g
% calories from fat .. 96 Cholesterol … 8 mg Sodium ……… 80 mg
Carbohydrates ….. 0.7 g Protein …… 0.2 g Fiber ………. 0.1 g
TOMATO, RED ONION AND FETA SALAD
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
4 medium ripe tomatoes, preferably a mix of yellow and red, cored, sliced
1 medium red onion, sliced
Extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar
Salt, freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
Alternate slices of tomato and red onion on 4 chilled salad plates. Drizzle with oil and vinegar; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with cheese.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 180 Fat ………. 15 g Saturated fat .. 2.9 g
% calories from fat .. 74 Cholesterol .. 6 mg Sodium …….. 380 mg
Carbohydrates …… 10 g Protein ….. 2.4 g Fiber ………. 1.9 g
