Edamame-Avocado Soup

Make this soup ahead so it has time to chill - it works great for dinner parties!

Place 12 ounces of frozen shelled edamame in the bottom of a saucepan, and cover with water to about 2 inches above the beans. Bring to a boil, then continue to cook for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a blender, combine half of the edamame, 2 tablespoons chopped shallots, and 1/4 cup vegetable broth. Process until smooth, and transfer to a large bowl.

Combine the remaining half of the edamame with 1 (peeled and quartered) avocado and about 6 tablespoons more vegetable broth in the blender. Puree until smooth and add to the first pureed mixture, stirring to combine.

Add 6 tablespoons more vegetable broth, 2 cups water, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. white pepper, stirring with a whisk. Cover and chill. The original recipe didn't specify any length of time for chilling, but I made mine about 3 hours in advance.

1 cup of soup is 190 calories. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or lemon wedges if you like, for a pretty presentation.

Note: I sort of messed up the various quantities of broth in each step above, adding closer to 1/2 cup for the first puree, 1/4 cup for the second puree, and 1/4 cup for the final addition. I figured it didn't matter too much, because either way it all evened out in the end to 1 cup total vegetable broth!

Cost:
vegetable broth $2.69
avocado $1.99