Hello friends! Remember me? No? I don't blame you! I've been totally off the grid recently, with no real excuse other than a combo of travel and new doggy mom responsibilities! Tim and I are now the proud parents of Louie dog, also known as Glue-ie, because he's never more than a few inches from one of us! Or really anyone who pays attention to him - the other night, we brought him to a bar patio, and next thing I know he's hopped up on the bench at the table next to us and had snuggled up a total stranger! Louiedog: Friend of all humans and puppies, enemy of all squirrels.
Last week I was eating ramen on a rainy chilly day; now, it's in the 90s and all I want is cold vegetables! Cue: gazpacho. I've always like gazpacho when I order it out, but I've never mastered it at home... until now! The last time I tried to make it, it was a pretty epic fail (which I then turned into a delicious hot tomato soup - crisis averted), but I've finally perfected it! Most authentic gazpacho recipes call for a lot of added olive oil - I used an avocado instead, and it came out creamy and smooth just like I wanted, but without the oil! Next time you're about to sweat to death, throw this in the blender and start cooling down ASAP!
Creamy Gazpacho
Serves 6
Adapted from New York Times
- 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, any type (if they're larger tomatoes, cut out the hard core), roughly chopped
- 1 cucumber, peeled, roughly chopped
- 2 jalapeños, roughly chopped (and seeded if you don't like spice)
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1/2 red onion, roughly chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 handful cilantro (skip this if you've got the "I hate cilantro" gene)
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 2 teaspoons salt (add more to taste)
In a high-powered blender (I LOVE my Vitamix!), add tomatoes, cucumber, jalapeños, avocado, onion, garlic, and cilantro. Blend at high speed for 2 minutes or until completely smooth. With the blender running just enough to circulate the soup, slowly add sherry vinegar and salt. Chill for at least 2 hours and serve!