Not only is this refreshing soup perfect on sweltering summer days, it could also give you a vitamin boost in winter when you feel slightly under the weather. Stirred up from a variety of delicious raw fruit and vegetables, it is an easy way to top up on protective nutrients. Serve it as a high-vitality starter or snack.
Make the soup as spicy as you like by adding more chopped fresh chilli – ½ chilli gives only the slightest of kicks. * For a slightly thicker soup, purée the cucumber, onion, pepper and chilli together in a blender or food processor until smooth, then add to the fruit juices in step 1. * In place of the mango, cape gooseberries, pear and passion fruit, use 1 peeled and diced kiwi fruit, 1 peeled and diced guava (or drained and diced canned guava) or 1 stoned and diced peach, ¼ peeled and diced pineapple and 1 diced banana. * If you happen to come across jícama, a juicy root vegetable from America's southwest and Mexico, it is a delicious, crunchy ingredient to add to the soup. Peel and dice it, then add it with the fruit just before serving. * Whizz the soup in a blender or food processor to make a high-vitamin refreshing drink for any time of year.
The World Cancer Research Fund suggests that eating 5 or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day could prevent 20% of all cases of cancer. This soup is a great way to help you meet the 5-a-day target. * Studies into the incidence of bowel cancer within different population groups suggest that people who eat more fruit and vegetables are less likely to get this disease. * Research at Harvard University found that drinking 1 glass of orange juice daily could reduce the risk of stroke by 25%.
A, B1, B6, C * folate, potassium