Soup can be a whole meal

My Grandfather had Yogurt Soup for Lunch Nearly Every Day of his Life, Winter or Summer.

My grandfather loved his yogurt soup. It was what he had for lunch practically every day of his life and - as we lived with them for a few years - you might say that I got used to having the same dish nearly every day. These days, I find that soup - yogurt or otherwise - really is one of my favorite meals. I usually make a big pot of something every Saturday and it fills in as lunch or dinner throughout the week, when the work days might go on forever and by the time you get home, cooking is about the furthest thing from your mind.

Soup fills the gap of needing a healthy, flavorful meal without spending another hour in the kitchen.

When it's extremely hot, sometimes I'll make a quick batch of gazpacho or jajik (another yogurt and cucumber soup, served icy cold, with lots of fresh chopped mint and chopped walnuts added for both crunch and interest). But even on the hottest day, hot soup can go down very well - especially with some fresh fruit, olive, pickles and a bit of string cheese, and some really well made bread on the side. Check out the bakeries in your area for their artisan offerings. Wherever I've lived over the years, I've usually found that bread from the bakery was not all that expensive and far better made than what you could get at the supermarket. And it always had the added benefit of helping to keep a small, locally-owned business thriving in the community.

But, back to the question of soup. If, by now, I've got you thinking about how good a bowl would be for dinner, check out my recipes for Yogurt Soup, Avgolemono or Greek Lemon-Chicken Soup, Ashe Anour or Persian Pomegranate Soup or Jajik.