The year 2010 is in our rear view mirrors, along with all of its holidays that brought us an abundance of sugar and carbohydrate-rich foods. Now that the new year is getting it’s groove on, many of us want to get back on track with our eating habits; maybe even lose a few pounds in the process. This is where the Gazpacho comes in. Gazpacho has become a generic term for a chilled soup consisting mostly of a tomato base, along with an array of other vegetables. I know we’re in the dead of winter, and this chilled soup sounds counter-intuitive, but this was just what I needed to cut the fat out of my diet for a few meals. Besides that, it just plain tasted good to eat some VEGGIES for once!
Here’s how I did it:
(there’s lots of chopping involved)
Tomatoes:
Celery:
Cucumber:
Zucchini:
Onion:
Put all of that in a big bowl, and mix!
Put half of that mixture into your food processor…
Add the Franks Red Hot, olive oil, salt, pepper, sugar, garlic, and half the V8.
Puree that up until the mixture is smooth.
Pour that mixture, along with the rest of the V8, back in with your reserved chopped veggies, and mix well. Put that puppy in the fridge for a couple hours to chill, and there you have it!
To serve, ladle into a bowl, and garnish with chopped avocado, cilantro, a squeeze of lime juice, and sour cream. I had to put more Franks in, because let’s face it: Franks is the best hot sauce. I could drink that stuff by itself.
I had the bestie over to do like we do every week: chat and chill, so to accompany this dish, we served it up with some of her famous Vodka Cranberry Spritzers (vodka, cranberry, lime flavored sparkling water, and a lime wedge). She started this idea awhile back: to add in the lime flavored sparkling water… and boy is it a good one! Gives the drink that little extra special touch. Love it! (Hope it’s okay that I’m telling this to the whole world, B!)
Also, from June 27 – July 4, 2012, join Dine & Dish and Cookin’ Canuck for the California Avocado 4th of July Blast, sponsored by the California Avocado Commission. They’d love for you to share any avocado recipes you’ve got, with the chance to win some pretty awesome prizes! Additionally, avocados are classified as part of the clean 15 foods that are the lowest in pesticide use according to the Environmental Working Group(EWG). Here are the rules for entering the contest!
(inspired by Ree Drummond’s Gazpacho)
- 1 Qt. Low Sodium V8 Spicy Vegetable Juice
- 3 Large Tomatoes, chopped
- 1 Hot House Cucumber, chopped
- 1 Medium Zucchini, chopped
- 2 Stalks Celery, chopped
- 1 Onion, chopped
- 3 Tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar
- ¼ C. Olive Oil
- 1 Tbsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Pepper
- 1/8 – ¼ C. Franks Red Hot Sauce
- 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp. Sugar
- California Avocado, cilantro, lime, sour cream for garnish
- 4 slices of bread, buttered and toasted
- Get all your veggies chopped up. Combine tomatoes, cucumber, zucchini, and celery in the largest bowl you can find, and mix. Add half of the vegetable mixture, half of the V8 juice, and all of the vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, Franks, garlic, and sugar to your food processor. Give everything a whir for a full minute until everything is chopped up very fine. Add that, along with the remaining V8 to the original bowl containing the other half of chopped veggies, and stir until well combined. Cover, and retire the mixture to the refrigerator for 4 hours or until nicely chilled.
- To serve, ladle into a bowl, and top with all (or none) of the following: diced avocado, chopped cilantro, more Franks Red Hot, a lime squeeze, and a dollop of sour cream. A piece of nice crusty buttered toast goes great with the soup as well!
Sounds really good & healthy. I think I’ll try it!