Stay cool as a cucumber with Ellie Krieger's no-cook soup.

Week three of our season-long garden party Summer Fest 2011 welcomes food and garden bloggers to feature garden-to-table recipes and tips. We’ll help you to enjoy all that this season has to offer. So far, we’ve delved into eggplant and peaches. This week we’re getting creative with: cucumbers.

With temperatures reaching 90 degrees in many areas of the country, it’s just too hot to cook. But it’s never too hot to eat right, so mercury rising is no excuse to roll through the drive-through. Ellie Krieger’s Cool Cucumber Soup is just the solution. It’s perfect for the height of summer because:

• You won’t need to turn on the oven or stove to make it.
• It’s done in 20 minutes.
• It’s a great way to use up the cucumbers growing like crazy in the garden.
• It clocks in at just 130 calories and 2.5 grams of fat, so makes a waistline-friendly light lunch or appetizer.
• Per Ellie, it’s a good source of protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C and calcium.

What are you waiting for? Get out the blender and whip up this super-cool, creamy-yet-good-for you cold soup.

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Tomato-Peach Salad from Food Network Magazine.

We’re teaming up with food and garden bloggers to host Summer Fest 2011, a season-long garden party. In coming weeks, we’ll feature favorite garden-to-table recipes and tips to help you enjoy the bounty, whether you’re harvesting your own goodies or buying them fresh from the market. Today, we’re exploring peaches.

Peaches are finally in season, so get your hands on some while they last and enjoy them in as many ways as you can (but don’t forget to freeze some for the colder months!). Here are 8 healthy ways to eat the sweet stone fruits that you might not have thought of.

8. As a side dish: Tomato-Peach Salad from Food Network Magazine (pictured above)

7. With chicken: Bobby Flay’s Grilled Chicken With Spicy Peach Glaze Read More