On a warm September day, nothing is more refreshing than a cool bowl of gazpacho. Traditionally served either chilled or at room temperature, gazpacho makes great use of the perfectly ripe tomatoes and other fresh produce from your summer garden. This simple soup, from The Raw Food Revolution Diet, by Cherie Soria, Brenda Davis, RD, and Vesanto Melina, MS, RD, is full of refreshing good flavor.
Gazpacho
Yield: 2 cups/500 mL (2 servings)
Nutrition Note
Not surprisingly, Gazpacho is chock-full of nutrients and antioxidants. One serving of this soup supplies over 30% of the RDA for chromium, copper, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, and vitamins B6, C, and K, and over 20% of the RDA for pantothenic acid, potassium, and vitamins A
and E.
3 ripe tomatoes
1/4 cup (60 mL) diced celery
1/4 cup (60 mL) seeded and diced cucumber
3 tablespoons (45 mL) diced red bell pepper
2 teaspoons (10 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup (60 mL) thinly sliced radishes
2 tablespoons (30 mL) minced fresh parsley, packed
1 tablespoon (15 mL) thinly sliced green onion
1 1/2 teaspoons (7 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) salt
Pinch of cayenne
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 ripe avocado, diced
2 tablespoons (30 mL) Savory Seasoned Sunflower or Pumpkin Seeds,
or 1/4 cup (60 mL) mung bean sprouts or lentil sprouts (optional)
1. Seed the tomatoes and strain the seeds from the juice through a cloth mesh bag. Set the juice aside.
2. Finely dice the tomatoes.
3. Place the tomato juice, half of the celery, cucumber, and bell pepper, and all of the lemon juice in a blender and process until smooth.
4. Pour into a bowl and stir in the tomatoes, the remaining celery, cucumber, and bell pepper, and all of the radishes, parsley, green onion, oil, salt, cayenne, and black pepper. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.
5. Just before serving, stir in the avocado, pour into individual bowls, and top with the optional pumpkin seeds.
6. Stored in a sealed glass jar in the refrigerator, Gazpacho will keep for up to 2 days.
