Monday Munchies...

Cooking has been a rare occasion recently, which is why it has been so challenging to write these posts! On the other hand, it's a push to meal plan and try something new!

A few weekends ago, we had some company over.  Being the big soup fan that I am, I wanted to make a summer soup.  I'm not really a fan of cold soup, so I leaned towards the fruit variety.  

This is one popular fruit soup

 

I'm a big fan of this, but not a big fan of how unhealthy it is.  

So I looked for other options.

 

Summer Fruit Soup

1 tablespoon minced ginger
3 cups chopped strawberries
2 cups chopped pineapple
1 1/2 cups chopped mango
2 pieces lemon peel
2 pieces lime peel
2 pieces orange peel
4 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 cup blueberries
Mint sprigs, for garnish

Saute the ginger in a medium pot over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes (no oil is necessary.) Add 2 cups strawberries, 1 cup pineapple, 3/4 cup mango and the lemon, lime and orange peels; cook for another 2 minutes. Add water, sugar and fruit juices and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Simmer for 5 minutes and remove from the heat. Allow mixture to cool slightly and then transfer in batches to a blender or food processor. Puree and strain into a large bowl. Add remaining 1 cup strawberries, 1 cup pineapple, 3/4 cup mango and blueberries. Stir to combine, cover and refrigerate until well chilled. Serve with mint sprigs for garnish.

Of course I adapted the recipe in the following ways to make it much quicker, simpler, cheaper, and of course, less sugar.  

For starters I eliminated the following: minced ginger-I substituted ground ginger which can be found in your local spice section.  

I originally was hoping to find canned mango-it's already peeled and cut, making it much quicker and easier.  But, the store I went to did not carry canned mango, so I had to forego it this time. 

I also eliminated the peels-I was in a rush Friday afternoon and knew I would not have the time to do all the necessary cooking.

I also had to forego the blueberries because I thought I had a container in the freezer, but I couldn't find them. 

I substituted mint leaves for mint sprigs, also found in your local spice section.

And last but not least, I cut out half the sugar.

So, all in all I had a strawberry pineapple smoothie.  

Hey, what could be wrong about that?!?

I was rather surprised when most of my guests declined the fruit soup...I however thought it was delicious and I would definitely make it again.  I would be curious the taste difference if I actually followed the recipe...

q