Cucumber and Purslane Soup

This is week five of our CSA. I was away for two weeks visiting family. I came home and my fridge looked like this...

Needless to say we have had many fabulous veggie meals inspired by our weekly CSA mystery box.

Tonight we tried something new. A fresh, cold soup made with cucumber, and purslane. Purslane is a new veggie for me to work with. I have seen plenty of it in my gardening history but I have always pulled it up thinking it was a weed and tossed it aside. It turns out that some people grow it on purpose and it is pretty tasty. Purslane is a succulent. It is lemony and refreshing. You can eat it in salad or in a stir fry. We have tried both of those also with great success. This recipe worked well. I loved it. The boys were pretty good sports about it. They kid of let me know that they would prefer if the cold soup idea did not show up on the menu too often. (We will try again ;) It takes 8-12 introductions to a new thing before someone may really like it)

So here it is! Easy, fresh and delicious, it all goes right into your blender or food processor and then you eat it. We served it with gluten free/vegan scallion pancakes. Those were a big hit.

Cucumber & Purslane Soup

1 large cucumber diced
1 large tomato quartered
1 medium young onion (they are milder) chopped
1 bunch purslane leaves
1/3 lb tofu cubed
1 tbsp siracha
1/2 cup basil leaves
1 tsp veg-base veggie seasoning
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tsp sherry vinegar
pinch of salt, pinch of pepper
1/2 tsp sugar

Blend everything together  until smooth. Taste and adjust the sugar, spice or sweet to your liking. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil or croutons.