Avocado Soup with Herbs, Slivered Radishes, and Pistachios

Ingredients

• 1 large avocado pitted peeled
• 3 servings chives finely sliced
• 1 tablespoon chives snipped
• 1 tablespoon cilantro leaves chopped
• 1  cucumber peeled seeded
• 3 servings cilantro leaves 
• 1 large garlic clove 
• 0.5  jalapeno seeded chopped
• 1  juice of lime 
• 2 cups buttermilk low-fat
• 1 tablespoon marjoram minced
• 0.3 cup pistachios shelled
• 3 servings radishes 
• 3  spring onion white green finely minced plus a bit of the ,
• 3 servings salt and pepper freshly ground
• 0.5 teaspoon agave nectar such as agave syrup, to taste
• 1 tablespoon tarragon minced
• 1 cup yogurt 

Equipment

• bowl
• ladle
• blender

Directions

1. Puree the buttermilk, yogurt, avocado, and a quarter of the peeled cucumber in a blender until smooth, then pour it into a bowl.
2. Mash the garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir it into the puree along with the scallions, herbs, chile, and lime zest. Season to taste with salt, pepper, lime juice, and sweetener, if needed. Seed and finely dice the remaining cucumber and add to the soup. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled. Just before serving, taste and correct the seasonings.
3. Ladle the soup into bowls, then cover the surface with the chives, radishes, herb sprigs, and pistachios.
4. Taste
5. Book, using the USDA Nutrition Database
6. From Vegetable Soups From Deborah Madison's Kitchen by Deborah Madison Copyright (c) 2006 by Deborah Madison Published by Broadway Books.Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and The Savory Way, each earned the IACP's Julia Child Cookbook of the Year award. Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone also received a James Beard Award, as did Local Flavors, her most recent book. She is also the author of the James Beard Award nominee This Can't Be Tofu! and The Greens Cookbook, which is now a classic. She lives in Galisteo, New Mexico.