Cooking Tool of the Month – Microplane
I'm taking it easy today. I had a seriously fun-filled birthday weekend (that including a few injuries at the indoor trampoline park)! An epic post is coming soon about that. Let's just say I'm totally exhausted and I ate so much food that today I'm doing a fruit only day to detox. Another thing I like to eat when I need to give my insides a break is a blended soup!
On a hot summer day all I want is chilled soup. Gazpacho is what comes to my mind, but anything can be blended into a soup. That's what makes this type of soup so special. You can sneak in all kinds of good stuff. Like citrus zest! This is the kind of recipe that just calls me to whip out my Microplane Zester. Did you see the Mini Coconut Key Lime Pies from Friday? We are crazy for zest around here!
You can also sneak in green veggies to a flavorful blended soup. I shared this recipe at a cooking class for the Black Vegetarian Society of Texas on Saturday. It occurred to me then that you could add a cup of frozen broccoli to this soup and probably not change the taste, upping it's nutrients exponentially. So try that and let me know how it comes out!
Some people are in the blended completely camp and some like their gazpacho chunky. When you use a high-powered blender it takes less than 30 seconds to blend this all together until smooth. If you are in the chunky camp I would take some extra cucumber and strawberry, dice it small, and add to the soup after it's blended.
I didn't need to add any water to this soup because strawberries and cucumbers are already so water-dense. And my Vitamix is so powerful. But if you are using a regular blender you may need to add a touch of water to help it along. Just add a little at a time; if you add too much it will dilute the flavor of the soup.
As always season to taste. Many of you know I'm a total wimpy Texan, but I'm trying to build up my spice tolerance! If you want to add fresh jalapeño peppers go for it. Feel like more cayenne? Spice it up!
What are YOUR favorite blended soups to have in the summer? Have you ever tried blending fruit into a savory soup like this one?
Strawberry Lemon Gazpacho
by
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Ingredients (Serves 2-3)
- 3 cups roughly chopped strawberries
- 1 cup chopped cucumber
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves (extra for garnish)
- Small handful cilantro
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar (or other light colored vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (extra for garnish)
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- Dash cinnamon
- Dash cayenne
- Water, as needed
Instructions
Blend until well combined. Adjust spices and salt as needed. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes then serve garnished with lemon zest and chopped mint.
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Saturday, May 26, 2012 - 9:37 pm
[...] Strawberry Lemon Gazpacho [...]
Wednesday, June 6, 2012 - 2:53 pm
This gazpacho was delicious! So perfect for summer. I followed your recipe exactly the first time and we discovered we prefer a little less red onion. Last night I made it using about 1/4 of a medium red onion and it was perfect! Thank you for this – it will become a summer time favorite!
Wednesday, June 6, 2012 - 4:53 pm
Great Karen! Yes the onion is totally optional. I tend to not like raw onion at all, but my dad is a big fan and I was making this for him. Glad you liked it!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012 - 6:07 pm
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