Soup's on: Summer Ed.

Is there anything more refreshing than cold soup on a hot summer day? Maybe spicy gazpacho, chock full of fresh juicy tomatoes, diced cucumber and onion, cilantro and garlic. Or silky avocado topped with fresh tomato salsa.

As this scorching summer drags on, I have stepped up my search for cold soup ideas. I've already made several good ones, including the much-loved Icy Cucumber with Smoked Salmon and Dill and Chilled Carrot Soup with Cumin and Lime, both from Sunday Soup. If you are a soup enthusiast, I can't recommend this book highly enough, along with Love Soup.

This weekend, I'm trying Moroccan-Spiced Cold Tomato Soup. As much as I love gazpacho, I want to try something a little different. I will have it with Curried Chicken Salad from Raising the Salad Bar. For an all-veg dinner, I think I'll also make this tabbouleh, only with Israeli couscous instead of farro.

I confess that I have not yet ventured into the land of fruit soups. Something about that just doesn't seem right. I'm sure it's wonderfully refreshing and I'll try it one of these days. Just not today.

If you'd like to try some cold soups while summer vegetables are available, there are dozens of recipes on Epicurious and Foodnetwork. Just search on Cold Soup and you're sure to find something to keep you cool on these hot August nights.