Believe it or not, I have yet to turn on my central air conditioning. While my electricity bill might be a little lower, the temperature in my kitchen is a little higher, and with the world's most inefficient oven, it rises even higher when I cook. So for the concluding hot months of summer, I turn to cold salads and move most of my protein cooking to the outside grill. But with the season's harvest in full swing, and the thermometer rising even higher, I find that cold soups are the perfect way to keep the temperatures, both body and ambient, down.

Not something usually thought of in the summer, soups are the perfect way to use fresh produce before it goes to waste. They are also very easy to make and can be whipped up in minutes – a perfect dish for surprise guests or a weekend potluck. Here I present three of the more common cold soups, using some of the season's freshest ingredients. Feel free to tweak the ingredients or amounts to suit your tastes, and attempt to come up with a recipe of your own – think corn, or peaches, or melon, or roasted red pepper, or… The varieties are limited only by the imagination. One disclaimer: some cooking may be required.

Cool-As-A-Cuke Soup
Created by Alyson Browett

Cucumbers are related to zucchini, squash and watermelon, along with other gourds. The fruit originated somewhere in Southern Asia and has been cultivated for more than 3,000 years. Historically used for its healing purposes – compounds in its flesh help soothe skin and reduce swelling – the cucumber is rich in vitamin C, potassium and magnesium. This is a great dish for people looking for a low-carbohydrate, low-fat meal.

2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and finely diced
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
1 cup vegetable stock
1 bunch green onions, white and green parts, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
1 avocado
½ cup Greek yogurt
½ cup sour cream (can use light or fat free)
¼ cup chopped *fresh* dill
Salt and white pepper, to taste

Add one of the cucumbers, garlic, stock, green onions and lemon juice to a blender. Puree until smooth. In a bowl, mash the peeled avocado with a fork or potato masher. Stir the yogurt and sour cream in with the avocado. Whisk the cucumber "water" into the avocado mixture. Add the dill and the other diced cucumber, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cool for at least two hours in the fridge. Serve garnished with a dollop of sour cream and a dill sprig. Serves 2-4.

Bright and Breezy Borscht
Created by Alyson Browett

Borscht, usually made primarily from beets, originated in Eastern Europe. Many borscht soups are served hot and contain meats and cabbages; however, there are innumerable variations of the bright pink concoction. This cold variant does require some cooking, but in its finished state, could be served as a dessert with a dollop of crème fraîche. If served as an appetizer, consider garnishing with dill or parsley and serving with half of a hard-boiled egg on the side.

6 medium beets, leaves removed and root ball scrubbed
1 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup vegetable stock
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup sour cream
Salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 400°. Place the beets in a baking dish and drizzle the olive oil over them. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, sealing the edges tightly. Roast the beets for at least one hour, or until very tender. Set aside to cool, but reserve the cooking liquid. When cool enough to handle, peel the beets (I recommend wearing latex or rubber gloves to prevent staining your hands pink). Dice two of the beets into small cubes, and roughly chop the other four. Place the four chopped beets, cooking liquid, stock, lemon juice, vinegar and honey in a blender and puree until smooth. In a bowl, whisk together the beet puree and the sour cream and add salt to taste. Add the diced beets and serve, as appropriate, as noted above. Serves 4-6.

Gazpacho
Created by Alyson Browett

There's not much to say about this salad-soup, other than YUM. Really, you can add any garden vegetable you like to this soup, and get a spectacular result. Gazpacho originates from Andalusia in Spain, and was traditionally a soup of bread, garlic, olive oil, salt and vinegar. Tomatoes and green peppers were introduced to Spain by Columbus, who brought them back from the New World around the turn of the 16th century. For my version, I like to combine the diced and pureed varieties, and use all fresh ingredients (in other words, there's no high-sodium V8 in here).

10 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely diced
1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely diced
1 sweet onion (preferably Vidalia), finely diced
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup blanched and slivered almonds
1 teaspoon paprika
Salt, to taste

In a blender, puree four of the tomatoes and the garlic until very smooth. In a bowl, combine the pepper, onion, lemon juice, and vinegar. Add the tomato puree and salt, to taste. Toast the almonds over medium heat in a sauté pan. Drizzle just enough olive oil over them to coat them, and then sprinkle with the paprika and salt, stirring to coat. To serve, drizzle a small amount of olive oil on the gazpacho and top with the spiced almonds. Serves 4-6.

Do you have any ideas for the "Your Personal Chef" column? Do you want to see an article on a specific topic? Do you have a recipe you'd like to share? Are you wondering how to replicate your favorite restaurant dish or make your favorite high-fat meal into guilt-free low-fat fare? Always wondered what a cherimoya is but are afraid to purchase one? Email me at eatrightgetfit@gmail.com, and I'll try to include your comments and answer your questions in the coming months!