3. Adjust seasonings and serve the soup with the accompanying garnishes of cucumbers, radishes, scallions and egg.

Serves: 4 This light soup uses low-fat yogurt as the base in place of the more traditional sour cream. Not much salt is needed since the flavor of the soup is enhanced naturally with the fresh herbs.

Cooking Notes: Fresh mint is much more pungent than dried. However, bunches of fresh mint can be wrapped in foil and frozen. Just cut off what you need and chop.

Cucumbers should be stored separately from fruits and vegetables which produce ripening ethylene gas, such as tomatoes, pears and peaches.

Cucumbers, a relative of melons, are very high in water, giving them refreshing properties that no doubt prompted the description "cool as a cucumber." If you are fortunate enough to pick up the little pickling cucumbers, they are crisper, have less water, and can be substituted successfully. You can use 5 small ones in place of the large European cucumber. They similarly don't need peeling since they are unlikely to have wax on them.