When I first saw this recipe in a recent issue of Cooking Light, I thought immediately that this was a winner. And then when I tasted it, I knew for sure. It is light and creamy and very, very tasty, especially when it is garnished with a small plop of Greek yogurt to provide that perfect bit of tang. Yum!

And this is the time of year for cold soup. Not only does it beat the heck out of standing over a hot stove, but the vegetative ingredients are at their prime and as inexpensive as they are going to get for the entire year. A winning combination if I ever heard one!

So do yourself and your family a favor. Serve this some hot evening along with a big old plate of cold cuts, a hunk or two of really good cheese, a loaf of rustic bread, a couple jars of hearty mustard, a bowl of mixed olives, some chunks of fresh fruit, and a glass of your favorite wine or beer, and you have a summertime meal fit for a king. Thank you Cooking Light for another wonderful and healthy recipe.

• ¾ c. buttermilk
• 2 tsp. sugar
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 T. fresh lemon juice (or more to taste)
• 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 4 ripe fresh from the vine or vine ripened tomatoes, cored and quartered
• ¼ c. coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves, plus additional small leaves for garnish
• 2 green onions, rough chopped
• 1 clove garlic
• plain Greek yogurt, opt.

Whirl the buttermilk, sugar, salt, pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, tomatoes, basil, green onions, and garlic in a blender* until smooth. Adjust seasoning. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with yogurt and basil leaves.

FYI: Although most of us have relegated our blenders to the back of our pantry or to the garage, bring that old standby back into your life. Food processors simply do not do as good a job at pureeing food.