Originally published on Pittsburgh Magazine
A couple of weeks ago, I gave a Raw Food 101 demo at the Pittsburgh Public Market for the Whole Food Nutrition MeetUp group and Farm to Table Pittsburgh. I typically give this demo once a year, at the height of summer — because everyone is looking for a way to get out of firing up the stove!
I had the pleasure of meeting Mya Zeronis at the event and taste her amazing raw soup! She is the chef behind Zest Wishes. Zest Wishes is at the Public Market but Mya also has personal chef services and holds pop up dinners that you should not miss! She is well versed in a whole range of ethnic cuisines so her food is always interesting — and always fresh!
Mya was kind enough to share the recipe with us! I just made it and its going to be one of my summer staples. Deeeeelicious!!!
Chilled Raw Avocado Cucumber Soup with Walnut “Cream”
Servings: 6
2 European cucumbers, 1-inch sliced
½ medium red onion, cut into chunks
1 cup walnut pieces
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp cumin seeds
½ bunch cilantro
Juice and zest of 1 ½ lemons
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 ripe avocados, pits removed, quartered; peeled
5 ice cubes (or as needed)
Sea salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 tbsp nutritional yeast (for garnish)
1 tbsp chia seeds (for garnish)
Set aside a few walnut pieces and 6 sprigs of cilantro to use as garnishes, along with nutritional yeast and chia seeds