A surprisingly tasty summer soup

My DH, Aaron, came home from the gym with a new recipe and a bag of produce. "Look at this great recipe," he beamed. "I'm going to make it for lunch!"

I rarely refuse when Aaron offers to cook because 1.) he's a good cook and 2.) I hate chopping vegetables, of which -- being vegetarian -- we eat a lot. So off I went for my own hour at the gym, leaving Aaron with his vegetables and his new recipe. The dish, called Rena's Summer Soup, originates with a friend of the Y's nutritionist, Anna. It's a straightforward recipe that didn't sound at all good on paper, but turns out to be brilliant. (BTW, the sandwich next to the soup bowl is something called Better Than Tuna Sandwiches from Colleen Patrick Goodreau's new book, The Vegan Table. More on that in an upcoming post.)

But enough talk.

Rena's Summer Soup

1 avocado

1 mango

1 medium tomato

1/2 green pepper

1/2 red onion

salt, pepper, and chopped fresh cilantro, to taste

juice of 1 lime

12 oz. tomato juice (we used V-8)

12 oz. pineapple juice

Chop the avocado, mango, and tomato into small, but not tiny pieces. Do chop the pepper and onion into tiny pieces. Mix all ingredients -- we used an 8-cup measuring cup for easy pouring. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Anna recommends eating this immediately. "It isn't as good if it's been sitting in the refrigerator for several days," she cautions.

Quorn Mango Chik'n with Barley & Asparagus

I might not eat meat, but that doesn't mean I don't like the taste. Quorn's Naked Chik'n Cutlets are a terrific substitute. They look, feel, and taste like boneless, skinless chicken breasts -- without taking any lives. And they're a mere 80 calories per cutlet!

I made up a fun little skillet starring Naked Chik'n; here's the 411:

Naked Chik'n Cutlet Skillet Dinner

Serves 2 - 4

1 box Quorn Naked Chik'n Cutlets (4 cutlets)

1 bunch asparagus

1 1/2 cups cooked barley (cook like rice)

1/4 cup mango or apricot preserves

Vegetable broth

Thaw cutlets in the refrigerator or in the microwave, covered with a damp paper towel to prevent them from drying out.

Cover a large skillet with pan spray and put in the cutlets. Heat through on both sides, adding a small amount of broth if necessary to keep them from sticking. Remove cutlets from pan.

Chop the asparagus into 2" pieces and cook briefly, until it's bright green. Add the cooked barley.

Make a thick sauce from the jam and broth. Paint it onto one side of each cutlet and place the cutlets back into the skillet, jam side down. Add broth to the pan if needed to keep the food from sticking.

Brush the top of each cutlet. Add remaining sauce, if any, to the pan.

Cook until heated. Season with salt and pepper and serve. Delicious!